Eckington WI

ON May 6, we held our Annual Meeting. During the course of the meeting, there was an opportunity to discuss the 2015 WI Resolution. The WI is renowned for taking on tricky issues. Much of this reputation stems from the WI’s resolutions process and the innovative campaigns that evolve from it. By working together, members can bring about real change at local and national level on the issues that matter to them and their communities. Through the resolutions process, every WI member has a unique opportunity to turn a concern into a national campaign every year, backed by the weight of the whole of the WI movement. This year the proposed resolution is “Failing to care – assessment of need in long-term care”. If voted in favour at the National Federation meeting, the meeting would call on HM government to remove the distinction between nursing care and personal care in the assessment of the needs of individuals, in order to advance health and wellbeing. At our meeting, the resolution provoked healthy debate with most agreeing that the principle was good but the practice and funding would be problematic. Ultimately it was accepted that we would allow our nominated representative attending the National meeting, to have discretion on the vote after listening to the further debate there.