Pat Cullen

Last updated

Patricia Yvonne Cullen (born 1965) [1] [2] is a Northern Irish nurse and trade unionist. Since July 2021, she has been General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing. [3]

Contents

Early life

Cullen was born in Carrickmore, County Tyrone and was the youngest of seven children. [4] Her sister had a learning disability which prompted her to study mental health nursing. [5]

Career

Cullen worked as a community nurse in west Belfast during the Troubles. She later became a registered psychotherapist. [6] She went on to hold roles at the Public Health Agency and the Health and Social Care Board, before joining the Royal College of Nursing in 2016. [7] In May 2019, she became director of the Northern Ireland Board of the RCN. [8] She started acting as General Secretary and Chief Executive in April 2021, and was appointed as interim General Secretary and Chief Executive of the national RCN in July 2021. [9]

In late 2022, she led the National Health Service strikes in which English and Welsh nurses went on strike for the first time in the nursing union's 106-year history. [10] In April 2023, her union announced a strike on May bank holiday weekend (30 April to 2 May) after RCN members rejected the pay offer. [11]

In 2023, Cullen was described by the New Statesman as ”one of the UKs most prominent Trade Union leaders”, being placed at No.15 in their list of the most powerful left-wing figures of the year, above many elected politicians. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal College of Nursing</span> British union for nurses

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. The majority of members are registered nurses; however student nurses and healthcare assistants are also members. There is also a category of membership, at a reduced cost, for retired people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matron</span> Senior nurse in a hospital

Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies.

Nursing in the United Kingdom is the largest health care profession in the country. It has evolved from assisting doctors to encompass a variety of professional roles. Over 700,000 nurses practice, working in settings such as hospitals, health centres, nursing homes, hospices, communities, military, prisons, and academia. Most are employed by the National Health Service (NHS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Malone</span> American nurse

Beverly Louise Malone is the chief executive officer of the National League for Nursing in the United States. Prior to assuming this position in February 2007 she served as general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in the United Kingdom for six years.

Patricia "Pat" Bottrill, MBE, FRCN is a British nurse and was awarded fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing in 2004 for her outstanding contribution to the establishment and development of endoscopy and gastroenterology nursing in both the United Kingdom and internationally.

Christine Hancock was the General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing from 1989 to 2001.

Dame Elizabeth Harriet Fradd, DBE, FRCN, is a British nursing administrator. Between 1973–1983, she held a variety of registered nurse, midwife and health visitor posts, while training as a children’s nurse who also managed children's units in Nottingham and worked as a nursing officer at the Department of Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Quinn</span> British nurse

Dame Sheila Margaret Imelda Quinn, DBE, FRCN, RGN, RM, RNT, was a British nurse and fellow of the Royal College of Nursing. She was president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) from 1982 to 1986. She was awarded an RCN Fellowship (FRCN) in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Carter (nurse)</span> British nurse

Peter Carter, OBE is an independent healthcare consultant and a former General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, and Hon fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and an Ad Eundem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.

Reginald Trevor Clay, CBE, FRCN was a British nurse and former General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Mona Elizabeth Clara Grey was a British nurse who was named Northern Ireland's first Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in 1960.

Dame Catherine Mary Hall was a British nurse and nursing administrator who was a long serving General Secretary of the UK's Royal College of Nursing (1957–1982).

Yvonne Veronica Coghill is a British National Health Service manager who currently serves on the NHS Equality and Diversity Council and is the Vice President of the Royal College of Nursing.

Professor Dame Donna Kinnair DBE is a British nurse and former Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). She has specialised in child protection, providing leadership in major hospital trusts in London, teaching, and advising on legal and governmental committees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Robb</span> Northern Ireland nurse (1923–2020)

Mary Kathleen Robb, OBE, OStJ, FRCN, was a nurse from Northern Ireland. Robb was the last matron of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and steered nursing services across the city during the height of The Troubles. Robb was an advocate for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and was a board member for 20 years.

Since May–June 2022, a series of labour strikes and industrial disputes have occurred in various industries of the United Kingdom's economy as workers walked out over pay and conditions. The strikes took place with rising inflation, and demands for pay increases that would keep pace with this inflation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Goodall</span> British nurse (1893–1976)

Frances Goodall CBE was a British nurse who was General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing and a founder of what became the Colostomy Association.

Elizabeth Elaine Wilkie OBE FRCN (23 August 1915 - 14 December 1998) was a Scottish nurse and the first Director of the Council for the Education and Training of Health Visitors in the UK. Wilkie was instrumental in the development of Health Visitors training in the UK. She received an OBE for her work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–present National Health Service strikes</span> Healthcare strike

The 2022–present National Health Service (NHS) strikes are several ongoing industrial disputes in the publicly funded health services of the United Kingdom.

Deborah Sturdy is a British nurse and professor. She is the Government of the United Kingdom Chief Nurse for Social Care. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire in 2017 and made a Commander of the British Empire in 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Search the register - The Nursing and Midwifery Council". www.nmc.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  2. ↑ "Error | Royal College of Nursing". The Royal College of Nursing. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  3. ↑ "Pat Cullen: The Tyrone woman leading nurses' strike". RTÉ . 20 December 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Campbell, Denis (9 December 2022). "Nurses' union leader Pat Cullen: 'I follow through on what I believe in'". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Denis (2022-12-09). "Nurses' union leader Pat Cullen: 'I follow through on what I believe in'". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  6. ↑ "Who is RCN chief and former nurse Pat Cullen?". The Independent. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  7. ↑ Coyle, Conor (2022-12-15). "Meet the NI woman at the head of the Royal College of Nursing". BelfastLive. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  8. ↑ Kirby, Jane (6 October 2022). "Nurses' strike ballot: Who is Pat Cullen?". Belfast Telegraph . Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Executive Team | Royal College of Nursing". The Royal College of Nursing. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  10. ↑ "Pat Cullen: Who is the RCN nursing union boss leading strikes?". BBC News. 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  11. ↑ "RCN nurses to strike on May bank holiday in England as pay offer rejected". BBC News. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  12. ↑ "The New Statesman's left power list". New Statesman . 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.