A campaigner against poverty in nursing is bidding to become an MEP in next month’s European Parliament elections. Joan Laplana, who is originally from Spain but has worked in the NHS for the last 19 years, announced he was standing for the pro-Remain Change UK – The Independent Group party in the East Midlands, saying: ‘Brexit has turned our lives upside down and, I had two options, to sit down and wait for my fate to be delivered to me or fight for my rights and my beliefs. We need change to be able to bring people back together and a People’s Vote is the first step towards it.’
A nurse working in the field of digital transformation, Mr Laplana has previously featured in Independent Nurse describing how he experienced poverty and the prospect of homelessness before a hardship grant from the RCN gave him back his security. He has since been involved in fundraising for the Cavell Trust which supports nurses in financial difficulty.
Elections will be held on 23 May, unless the UK government can agree terms for its withdrawal from the EU before that date.