Royal Trinity Hospice Director of Nursing and Quality Sonia Henry has been selected as a representative for a key Royal College of Nursing (RCN) committee.

From January 2024 Sonia will take up her role as one of fourteen people on the Royal College of Nursing’s Professional Nursing Committee, as the London Region Member. The position will be held alongside her role at Trinity for a period of four years, with Sonia being the only member of the committee working in the independent healthcare sector.  

As the London region representative, Sonia will help ensure the RCN remains the voice of professional expertise for nursing, delivering good practice and helping to shape the healthcare system for the future.

Committee members provide expert advice on nursing issues to the Royal College of Nursing, support research work, report on the impact of new nursing policies on nurses and patients and are a sounding board for nursing-specific issues for members.

Existing committee members nominate the applicants they think are the most suitable, with Sonia standing out as a professional working within the independent sector at Trinity, rather than the wider NHS, from which Trinity receives a proportion of its funding but is not part of.   

Keen to play a part in raising the profile of the RCN, Sonia cites her commitment to governance and professional educational development of continual practise growth as key skills she will bring to the committee, along with her communication skills and dependable nature. 

On receiving news of the appointment, Sonia described her sense of excitement for the opportunity to give back to the RCN: 

“With a strategic vision for professional nursing and educational practice, I am a campaigner for all nurses in shaping and ensuring their voices will be valued and heard within the RCN. Acting with integrity and in the best interest of patients, I hope to promote efficiency and operational excellence across the health and social care sector and can’t wait to get started.”

Prior to joining Trinity, Sonia has worked in a variety of senior nursing roles across NHS Trusts and Adult Community Nursing Services, with a solid track record in leadership roles, consistently advocating and promoting change in nursing.

Photo credit: Royal Trinity Hospice