I was delighted to be able to join a recent fact finding visit by 20 NHS leaders to Brussels. I seldom put myself forward for such opportunities, but I know this was an area that was, frankly in my "don't really understand it - too difficult" pile so I decided it would be good for me to grasp the nettle!
It was a 24-hour event really, spread over two working days, organised by NHS Employers, with a pretty impressive cast list - Dean Royles (Chief Exec of the NHS Confederation), Elizabetta Zanon (Director of the NHS European Office), Steve Fairman from NHS England, representatives from trusts, six of us from the recently authorised Academic Health Science Networks and Health Education England - so I'd taken some smart clothes...and some walking shoes too (more later on that...).

It was as always a real privilege to step away from the day job and be exposed to new experiences and places.

We packed a huge amount in to the 24 hours, meeting MEPs and finding out more about how European law and policy are made - and I hadn't really fully understood the huge impact that the EU has on our everyday lives.

We were left with a clear sense of the links between domestic and European policies, and also some idea of how we can influence them.

We were honoured by the time people had taken to meet with us and their seniority, and the priority they had placed on our visit was very evident

The visit opened my eyes to the great potential NHS leaders have to help shape and influence decisions taken by the EU and to get to grips with new funding streams such as 'Horizon 2020'; this is the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever, with nearly 80 billion Euros of funding between now and 2020.

A particular theme running through the presentations was the increasing focus on research and innovation, and making sure what we know is what we actually do! This further reinforced for us all, the critical role that Academic Health Science Networks must play in the future NHS landscape as we work with our partners to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of local people - that's really what we're all about.

So the key learning points for me were:

· A great insight into the operation of the EU

· The EU's impact on the NHS and the funding opportunities we can potentially tap into

· We're better working together than as islands - literally and metaphorically.

But of course it wasn't all hard work. Those who know me will be aware I never pass up the opportunity to explore new places, so I stayed in Brussels for the weekend before at a fantastic little hotel in Ixelles.

I spent the entire weekend wandering around this amazing and eclectic city (walking 23km in the process - pedometer in situ, see earlier reference to walking shoes...) and was struck by how contemporary, diverse and vibrant the city is with fascinating architecture, exciting street art and places to eat, and of course watch the world go by.

For example I spotted some great posters outside a sexual health clinic depicting diverse couples of difference ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations in an unapologetic "mainstream" way - no it shouldn't be remarkable, but have a look around your place of work and then tell me that it's common place (apologies to skilled photographers, it's probably obvious that I'm not entirely at ease with my iPhone camera!).



All in all a great few days in a wonderful city that gave me opportunity to network with colleagues and learn more about the opportunities available to us all – so thanks to Dean Royles and colleagues for organising the visit.

On a final note I'm sure you're aware that Brussels is renowned for having great beer, but unfortunately I wasn't able to test this because I was sticking to my 'dry January' pledge... bad timing eh?

If you'd like to find out more about the NHS European Office (which represents NHS organisations to EU institutions and makes sure NHS views are taken into account by European policy makers) check out the NHS Confederation website

Best wishes,

Rachel

@RachelMunton