March 2008 SAD NEWS:

It is with a tremendous sense of loss, both personally and professionally, that I write this tribute to Dr Rodney Hughes, who passed away on the 28th of February 2008, aged 65 years.

Rodney made an immense contribution to the formation and continuing work of eNWI, and was a significant champion for nursing terminology, standardised language in nursing and a voice for nursing in the development of health informatics and e-health nursing.

Rodney was a founder member of the North Wales Nursing Terminology Group (NWNTG) which was set up as a direct influence of the 2003 UK & Ireland ACENDIO conference held in Swansea. The NWNTG was the first group of its type in Wales and Rodney quickly became an enthusiastic and innovative member of group. It was during this time that he was instrumental in developing a “Conceptual Model for Nursing Information” which has subsequently attracted considerable interest on both the national and international nursing scene, and has been presented at several major conferences. The conceptual model will shortly be published in the International Journal of Nursing Terminologies and Classifications.

When eNWI was formed in 2004, Rodney was unanimously elected Chair of the group and was untiring in his work to ensure that nurses in Wales had a clear “voice” in the development of the Informing Health Care programme and the promotion of standardised nursing terminologies. Rodney brought a determined and very effective leadership to eNWI’s activities, as well as conducting proceedings with an engaging sharp wit and keen sense of humour. Even in the latter, terminal phase of his illness, we continued to exchange ideas for the future direction of e-health nursing in Wales and it is my intention to ensure that eNWI moves forward in the inspirational manner that Rodney has set for us all.

Dave Lloyd, Chair eNWI