Royal College of Nursing

History

In 1916 the College of Nursing Ltd was founded with 34 members as a professional organisation for trained nurses. A Royal Charter was granted in 1928 and the organisation became the College of Nursing. In 1939 the college's name was changed to the Royal College of Nursing. Since 1977 the RCN has also been registered as a trade union.

In 2016 the college is celebrating 100 years since its foundation. It is undertaking a number of activities to celebrate the centenary, including a photography competition and special events.

Headquarters

The headquarters are at 20 Cavendish Square, London, a Grade II listed building which was built as a substantial town house in 1729 and became the residence of British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith. The building was refronted and incorporated by architect Edwin Cooper in 1930 into his redevelopment of the corner site with Henrietta Place.

Regional Offices

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.

Council

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.

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. 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 current Council Chair is Michael Brown, the Vice Chair is Lors Alford.

Members

The RCN is a membership organisation and a trade union with over 435,000 members. Nursing students may join at reduced fees. Following the announcement of the removal of NHS Student bursaries in November 2015 the RCN initiated its support through the campaign "Nursing counts".

Events

RCN holds events nationwide throughout the year, including branch events, educational events and the annual Congress and AGM. The annual congress aims to help members to meet to learn, develop and share nursing practice; members help to inform the RCN agenda and influence nursing and health policy through debate. In 2016 Congress will be in Glasgow.

RCN libraries

The RCN Library claims to be Europe's largest nursing-specific collection. The RCN has four libraries throughout the United Kingdom: one in Northern Ireland (a region) and one in each constituent country of the United Kingdom. The libraries are located in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London.

The London Library, 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. Due to its historical holdings, the Library is a member of The London Museums of Health & Medicine group. 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.

Fellowships

The RCN awards Fellowships for exceptional contributions to nursing. Honorary Fellowships can also be granted by 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. Fellows and Honorary Fellows are entitled to the postnominal FRCN.

RCN Publications

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.

RCNi Nurse Awards

Formerly the Nursing Standard Nurse Awards, the annual RCNi Nurse Awards celebrate nursing in different categories. The Awards take place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is a category for Nursing Students.

Campaigns

As of February 2016 the RCN is currently running the 'Nursing Counts' campaign. The Nursing Counts campaign is a broad campaign encompassing fair pay and conditions and the removal of the NHS student bursary which will be removed from 2017.

Previous campaigns have been – What if? & 'Nursing the Future' 2004

RCN Foundation

On 1 April 2010 the RCN announced the launch of the RCN Foundation – an independent charity to support nursing and improve the health and wellbeing of the public. The new foundation will undertake a number of activities including giving grants for improving nursing practice through activities that, for example, support the development of clinical practice and improve the quality and standard of patient care and experience.