Royal College of Nursing | |
Predecessor | College of Nursing Ltd |
---|---|
Founded | 27 March 1916 |
Headquarters | 20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN [1] |
Location |
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General Secretary | Pat Cullen |
Key people | Dame Sarah Swift Sir Arthur Stanley (founders) |
Publication | Nursing Standard |
Website | www |
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union [2] 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.
The RCN describes its mission as representing nurses and nursing, promoting excellence in practice and shaping health policies. [3] It has a network of stewards, safety representatives and union learning representatives as well as advice services for members. Services include a main library in London, and regional libraries. The RCN Institute provides courses for nurses.
The College of Nursing Ltd was founded on 27 March 1916, with 34 members, as a professional organisation for trained nurses. [4] On a proposal from Dame Sarah Swift (then matron of Guy's Hospital ) and Arthur Stanley, chairman of the Joint War Organisation, developed with Rachael Cox-Davies (matron of the Royal Free Hospital) and Alicia Lloyd-Still (matron of St. Thomas Hospital ) the College was founded with articles of association. [5] The objectives of the College were 1) to promote better education and training of nurses , 2) to promote uniformity of curriculum, 3) to recognize approved nursing schools, 4) to make and maintain a register of persons who had certificates of proficiency in nursing and 5) promote bills in parliament in support of the interests of the nursing profession. [5] Eleven matrons signed the founding articles of Association , one of whom was Margaret Elwyn Sparshott. [6] It attempted amalgamation with the Royal British Nurses' Association, but this was frustrated, largely by the efforts of Ethel Gordon Fenwick. [7] [5] In March 1917 the college had 2,553 members and, by 1919, 13,047, a great deal more than the RBNA. It had most of the nursing places on the General Nursing Council when it was first established, and by 1925 it had about 24,000 members. Membership was restricted to registered general nurses. The college initially excluded male nurses, and those on the mental, mental subnormality, fever and children's nurses' registers from membership. [7] Annie Warren Gill was one of the founders of the Scottish board of the College of Nursing which held its first meeting on 1 November 1916 in Edinburgh. She was instrumental in setting up local branches in Scotland to increase membership. [8] Gill also proposed in 1922 that married members be considered part of the College, having realised that there would be a nursing shortage following World War 1. [9]
A royal charter was granted in 1928.The organisation became the College of Nursing [10] and Frances Goodall its Assistant General Secretary. The college pushed for registered nurses to be given precedence, and to be in charge. In 1935 Frances Goodall became General Secretary [11] and the Trades Union Congress promoted a Parliamentary bill to secure a 48-hour working week for all hospital employees. The college opposed this and was accused by the TUC of being "an organisation of voluntary snobs". [12] In 1939 the college's name was changed to “the Royal College of Nursing”. The Ministry of Health guaranteed a salary of £40 to nursing students in training in 1941, about double what voluntary hospitals were paying before the war. The Royal College said that this was too high. [13]
Since 1977 the RCN has been registered as a trade union. [14]
In 2018, after a pay agreement was not clearly explained to the membership, the Chief Executive and General Secretary Janet Davies resigned and Dame Donna Kinnair was appointed in an acting capacity. She was confirmed in the role in April 2019. [15] A motion of no confidence in the RCN Council was called shortly afterwards and passed in September 2018 with 78% of votes, but on a turnout when only 3.7% of the membership voted. As well as the Chief Executive and General Secretary, the Director of Member Relations had previously resigned. [16] [17] Twelve of the 17 council members resigned, 10 of them standing for re-election in the subsequent election. [18]
In 2019, the RCN's first strike – limited to Northern Ireland, over staffing and pay issues – took place. [19]
In May 2019, the Royal College of Nursing voted to back the “decriminalisation” of prostitution (prostitution itself not in fact being a criminal offence. [20] [21]
In April 2021, Pat Cullen started acting as General Secretary & Chief Executive, and was appointed as interim General Secretary & Chief Executive in July 2021. [22]
In August 2021, the RCN cancelled its annual meeting of members in Liverpool following allegations of sexual harassment and said the 2021 Congress would now be held virtually in order to safeguard those attending. [23]
In 2022, the RCN held a strike ballot over pay, held separately across NHS trusts and boards. Its members went on strike as part of the 2022–2023 National Health Service strikes. [24] [25] The RCN commented that from 2010 (the start of the government's austerity programme) to 2022, pay for nurses had fallen by 20%. [26] The government offered a 5% pay rise to most Agenda for Change classes; [24] the RCN demanded a pay rise of retail price index inflation plus five per cent. [26] Around 60 per cent of NHS workplaces in England reached the turnout necessary to legally strike. Outside of Scotland—where the government began negotiations over its 7.5 per cent offer—strikes took place on 15 December and 20 December 2022. [25] [27] In England, further strikes took place from 18 to 19 January 2023. [28] In England and Wales, the next strikes are set to occur from 6–7 February 2023. [27]
The headquarters are at 20 Cavendish Square, London, a Grade II listed building [29]
The RCN has offices throughout the UK. In England regional offices are located in Birmingham, Bolton, Bury St Edmunds, Croydon, Exeter, Newbury, Nottingham, Leeds, and Sunderland. The Northern Ireland office is in Belfast. The Scottish offices are located in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow; and the Welsh offices are located in Cardiff and Conwy.[ citation needed ]
The RCN is governed by its Council. Council members are guardians/trustees of the organisation's mission and values on behalf of the members. They are also charity trustees and carry legal duties and responsibilities laid down by charity law. The Council is responsible for the overall governance of the RCN, and has ultimate responsibility for the sustainability and the finances of the organisation.[ citation needed ]
The Council is made up of 31 Council members: two elected by each of the 12 geographical sections (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and 9 English), two elected by student members (RCN Students), two elected by HCA members (RCN HCA), the RCN President and Deputy President, elected by all members, and the Chair of RCN Congress (non-voting), who is elected by Congress voting entities.[ citation needed ] The RCN's General Secretary is appointed by Council. Council members are not paid to serve on Council but voluntarily give up their time to serve the RCN and its members, in their governance role.
The RCN Library claims to be Europe's largest nursing-specific collection. [32]
The RCN's Library in London, which is now known as the UK Library, was founded in 1921, and its contents include 60,000 volumes, 500 videos and 400 current periodicals on nursing and related subjects. The catalogue, with information on over 600m records, is now online. [33]
Due to its historical holdings, the Library is a member of The London Museums of Health & Medicine group. [34] Special collections include the Historical Collection and the RCN Steinberg Collection of Nursing Research, the latter of which comprises over 1,000 nursing theses and dissertations. Set up in 1974, the RCN Steinberg Collection of Nursing Research contains a selection of influential nursing theses and dissertations from the early 1950s to the present day. [35]
Fellowships are selectively awarded by the RCN in recognition of exceptional contributions to nursing. [36] Honorary fellowships are granted by the RCN Council to those who are unable to become an RCN member, either because they are from overseas or because they work outside the nursing profession. Only a small number of fellows are elected each year. [37] For example, in 2021, 11 fellows and two honorary fellows were elected, and in 2022, five fellows and three honorary fellows were elected. [38] [39]
Fellows and honorary fellows are entitled to the postnominal FRCN. [40]
RCN Publishing (branded as RCNi since March 2015) produces RCN Bulletin, a monthly member publication, and Nursing Standard , which is available through subscription and on news stands. It also publishes a range of journals for specialist nurses: Cancer Nursing Practice , Emergency Nurse , Learning Disability Practice , Mental Health Practice , Nursing Children and Young People , Nursing Management , Nursing Older People , Nurse Researcher and Primary Health Care .[ citation needed ]
The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care is an academic faculty within King's College London. The faculty is the world's first nursing school to be continuously connected to a fully serving hospital and medical school. Established on 9 July 1860 by Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, it was a model for many similar training schools through the UK, Commonwealth and other countries for the latter half of the 19th century. It is primarily concerned with the education of people to become nurses and midwives. It also carries out nursing research, continuing professional development and postgraduate programmes. The Faculty forms part of the Waterloo campus on the South Bank of the River Thames and is now one of the largest faculties in the university.
Dame Margaret June Clark, FAANFLSW is Professor Emeritus of Community Nursing, at Swansea University in Wales.
Sylvia Ernestine Denton (1941-2020), CBE, FRCN. RHV. Denton was one of the first Breast Care Nurses in the United Kingdom and President of the Royal College of Nursing from 2002-2006.
Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu is a British nurse, health care administrator, lecturer, and Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.
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.
Dame Ellen Mary Musson, was Chair of the General Nursing Council for England and Wales. Her nursing career began in 1898. She served prominently at St Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London.
Dame Kathleen Annie Raven, DBE, FRCN was a British nurse, matron, government health official, health care engineer, and educational philanthropist.
Professor Dame Jill Macleod Clark, DBE, RGN, FRCN has held key leadership roles in Nursing and Health care and was Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Southampton. She is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Southampton and holds Visiting Professor positions in the UK, Canada and Australia.
Dame Sarah Ann Swift, GBE, RRC was an English nurse and founder in 1916 of the College of Nursing Ltd. which became the Royal College of Nursing. The College of Nursing created the first registers of nurses, a blueprint for the introduction of Nurse registration in the United Kingdom.
Dame Gillian Frances Oliver, DBE, FRCN is a British nursing administrator. An expert in cancer nursing and palliative care, she has been instrumental in developing cancer services, policy and strategy in the UK and beyond.
Dame Alicia Frances Jane Lloyd Still, was a British nurse, teacher, hospital matron and leader of her profession. She was one of the leaders in the campaign for state registration of nurses. Following the Nurses Registration Act 1919, she was a member of the General Nursing Council (1920-1937). As chairwoman of the General Nursing Council's first Education and Examinations Committee she helped establish the first national examination standards for the registration of nurses.
Dame Anne Marie Rafferty FRCN is a British nurse, academic and researcher. She is professor of nursing policy and former dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care at King's College London. She served as President of the Royal College of Nursing from 2019 to 2021.
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).
Dame Louisa Jane Wilkinson, was a British military nurse and nursing administrator who served as Matron-in-Chief of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service from 1944 to 1948. She founded Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, and was also president of the Royal College of Nursing.
Dame Eileen Sills, is the Chief Nurse, Director of Patient Experience and Infection Control and a member of the board at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. She was the first Freedom to Speak Up National Guardian.
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.
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.
Margaret Dorothy Green OBE FRCN (1929–2017) was a senior Royal College of Nursing employee from 1966 to 1990 and was instrumental in setting up the UKCC, the forerunner of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Through UKCC, Green introduced major changes to nurse education such as Project 2000 and PREP.
Margaret Elwyn Sparshott was a British nurse. She was the principal matron of Manchester Royal Infirmary, and of the Territorial Force Nursing Service at Manchester, England. During the First World War, she used 2nd Western General Hospital as a base, and had the assistance of St John Ambulance, the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VADs) and the Red Cross. Within this framework she was responsible for the running of twenty-two large auxiliary hospitals, including the field hospitals for the war wounded, in Stockport, Salford and Manchester. Her duty extended to coping with increased patient numbers during the 1918–1920 flu pandemic.
Peggy Dina Nuttall OBE, OStJ, FRCN (1917–2008), as editor and later director of Nursing Times was one of the most influential nurses of the 20th century.