Joan Pons Laplana

My face might look familiar to you. I am a well-known Nurse activist. During my 25 years as a nurse, I'm continuously pushing the boundaries of what is possible, mobilising others and making change happen more quickly. I am a rebel. I am not not what people call a formal leader as I don't occupy any position of power on the NHS hierarchy, but my call of action is one of the most powerful amongst the Nursing profession. 

I might not be a senior NHS leader in a formal sense but my social leadership, based on reputation and ability to build trusting relationships is as powerful as positional authority. And when a leader offers a vision of a better future, an action plan for achieving it and a compelling voice, other people will follow it and great things can happen. That is me.

My audience and reach go beyond Great Britain and in last few years I have been a figure of influence around the globe.

My articles and opinions have been featured in almost all major TV stations, newspapers, and magazines around the globe. Just enter my name on Google or YouTube to see my global reach.

I am a pioneer. I was one of the first Nurses to introduce social media as a working tool and break barriers and start collaborating between different organisation with one goal in common: to significantly improve the patient journey.

Throughout my career I've led numerous projects that have had a huge positive impact on a local, regional, national and even international level. I was one of the first Caremakers and I was also involved with the first NHS Change Day and the formation of the School for Change Agents

I identified several opportunities and implemented several projects opportunities to improve outcomes like the prompt identification and treatment of sepsis at hospital environment or the creation of a programme to increase the Flu and Covid vaccine uptake amongst healthcare workers. My pathways resulted for example in reduced sepsis-related mortality (Kissing Goodbye Sepsis) or the increase significantly of the Flu and COVID vaccine amongst staff and have been introduced to several other health organisations.

I also invented new ways to interact with staff and patients like the FluBee game.

I am autistic and my high profile has made me also become an activist that often go beyond nursing or health matters.

But this high profile has also come with a high price to my mental health. During the pandemic I left my office desk, and I went back to the frontline. During the first and second wave I worked in the COVID ITU. Both emotionally and physically hit me very hard and i was diagnosed with PTSD in February 2021. Since then, I have been a Mental Health ambassador and I've been involved in numerous projects to highlight the importance of Mental Health especially amongst health care professionals. His blog "Wellbeing and the Pandemic" have had over 2,000,000 views.

Now my focus is to try to empower other colleagues. For that reason, in last few years I've founded the Association of Spanish Nurses and Healthcare Workers in the UK: Isabel Zendal and the Neurodiverse Nurses UK Association and Network.

The ND Nurses network is the first one of its kind and its aim to create an NHS where Nuerodiverse is seen positively focusing on people's abilities and not their disabilities.

You can find more information about ND Nurses UK on their website: 

The website full of resources and links to help fellow neurodiverse colleagues. Also, the website has a free to access social learning course gathers a list of shared experiences and tools designed to help both those nursing with neurodiversity (ND) and those working alongside them or managing them.

I've also founded the Association of Spanish Nurses and Healthcare workers in the UK: Isabel Zendal.

The Isabel Zendal Association is working together with NHS England as part of the NHS People Plan to try to improve the retention and recruitment of Spanish nurses working in NHS. The Spanish Nursing Association is a non-profit making charitable organisation founded in 2021 whose vision was to provide support, advice, and guidance to the Spanish nurses in the United Kingdom and for the new recruits coming from Spain.

You can find more information about the Association: 

I am now working at NHS England as part of the Project Choice Team. Project Choice is a specialist College providing tailored educational support, and a supported internship course for young adults aged 16-24 with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and/ or Autism. I am helping this youngster by empowering them and build their confidence as individuals in the workplace.

I am helping to change perceptions, raise awareness and create valuable career pathways for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and/ or Autism like me.

I am also helping to change perceptions, raise awareness and create valuable career pathways for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and/ or Autism like me. Overall, I am helping to remove barriers and widening access into the healthcare workforce.

In last few years i’ve been contributing enormously to help towards 2 of the biggest problems that currently face the NHS: Retention and Recruitment.