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 by Ronan Cameron-Carter and Liezel Longboan

Over 300 participants from 17 countries attended the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) UK鈥檚 first ever World Caf茅 Convention on 24 October, Saturday. Hosted online due to Covid-19 restrictions, the event attracted attendees from the Philippines, the UK, and the US, among several locations.  

Nurses as researchers

With the theme 鈥淣ursing the world to health鈥�, the event aimed to showcase Filipino nurses鈥� 鈥測earning and ability to improve the quality and the standard of the service we provide through research,鈥� according to Cielito Caneja, convention director. Caneja is a nurse researcher, author and chairperson of a non-profit that provides support services to UK-based Filipinos affected by Covid-19.   

鈥淲e were inundated with research studies and audit projects which proves Philippine nurses should not just be known for our smile, compassionate and tender-loving care, entertaining karaoke voices, adobo and spring rolls- but also for our intelligence,鈥� said Dennis Singson, event co-chair, in his closing remarks. Singson is an advanced nurse practitioner and a mental health specialist.

The convention winners were Leo Almerol (Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust) with his paper,

Aldons Chua, Maria Ravelo and their colleagues from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust won for their paper  The third winning paper was by Jed Patrick Catalan from the Philippines

All their papers have been published in an open access international journal for healthcare professionals.  

Praise for Filipino nurses

In her keynote speech, Yvonne Coghill, and deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing, recognised the value of Filipino nurses to the UK healthcare sector. 鈥淣urses and nursing are the most precious commodity that we have in our health service here in England鈥�Filipino nurses are core and a key backbone to the services that we have in our NHS and social care across the UK.鈥�

She also reminded everyone of the disproportionate number of deaths of healthcare workers of colour and how more needs to be done to avoid this from happening again. Within the Filipino nursing community, believed to be the highest of all ethnic groups in healthcare.

Globally, there are 27 million nurses worldwide, according to Howard Catton, chief executive of the International Council of Nurses, who gave a pre-recorded message to participants. As the world celebrates the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, Catton emphasised the need to look after the mental health of nurses and the wider public at this challenging times.  

While the ‘Filipino nurse’ is a brand known worldwide for the excellent care they provide and have a duty to uphold that reputation, Reuben Calixto of PNA America, reminded everyone that they also have a duty to look after themselves.