Royal College of Nursing

Royal College of Nursing ; (RCN)
founding	1916-03-27
Seat	20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN
Office	Twelve regional offices
motto	tradimus lampada (Latin: We carry the light)
purpose	Representation of health professionals in Great Britain
method	labor union
Action space	Great Britain
Managing directors	Donna Kinnair
Members	435000 (as of April 2020)
Website	https://www.rcn.org.uk

The Royal College of Nursing is England's largest union and professional body for the nursing professions. Founded in 1916, the organization is a non-profit organization that was converted into a corporation by a Royal Charter from 1929 to 2009 . In 2009, the association gave up its non-profit status and established a foundation that continues the tradition and the charter. The RCN has since operated as the union and advocacy group for the UK nursing professions.

history

The College of Nursing Ltd. was founded on March 27, 1916 with 34 members. At the end of 1916, membership was already 2553 members. In 1919 the College of Nursing's campaign for a central register of nursing professionals was upheld by the Nurse's Act. Since then, English nurses have had to be trained according to recognized standards. In 1920 the college therefore introduced a badge as a recognizable symbol of successfully completed training.

In 1926, Maria von Teck , Queen of England, took over the patronage of the organization, giving it further weight. She supported the organization as best she could until her death in 1953. In June 1929 the college was transformed into a corporation by a Royal Charter. The college had submitted the application as early as 1926.

Badge of the Royal College of Nursing

In 1939 King George VI allowed . the use of the attribute "Royal". During the Second World War , the collage made significant contributions to the support of the troops through nursing staff. In 1946 the RCN was distinguished by adding the shield to its coat of arms. The shield represents military service in the service of the nation. The RCN was the first predominantly women-staffed organization that was allowed to use a shield in its coat of arms. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II took over the role of royal patroness after taking over the presidency of the Student Nurse 'Association in 1944.

Change to a union

Between 1955 and 1960, nursing wages fell below 60% of the UK national average. The RCN launched a wage increase campaign when public salaries were frozen in 1961 due to an economic crisis. This activity was still limited to letters to the members of parliament.

In 1963 the college merged with the National Council of Nurses to form the Royal College of Nursing and the National Council of Nurses of the UK (RCN) . In the same year an international department was set up. In 1968, student sisters were also given membership. In 1969 the RCN launched a new campaign to raise wages, and in 1976 the RCN was recognized as a union.

In 1986 the name was changed to Royal College of Nursing and a full-time archivist was appointed to properly manage the college's records. In 1987 the RCN Institute for Advanced Nursing offered the first degrees, first only with the University of Manchester , later with the University of London and the University of Surrey .

In 1995 the RCN changed its statutes, which allowed it to call strikes, provided that they did not endanger the lives of patients. In 2000, membership was also made available to Health Care Assistants (HCA). In 2009 the RCN gave up its status as a non-profit foundation. The RCA Foundation continued the charitable activities.

organization

The RCN group consists of:

RCN UK, a registered UK trade union and Royal College (Trade Union List No. 528T; Comp. Reg. No. RC000459)
RCN Publishing (RCNi)
the RCN Foundation (RCNF), a registered foundation (Registration Nos. SC043663 (Scotland); 1134606 (England and Wales))
RCN Holdco Limited

The RCNF continues the tradition of the nonprofit that was abandoned in 2009 for the rest of the group.

Structural data

The group achieved a turnover of GBP 90 million in 2018. Over 80% of this turnover is generated through membership fees. At the same time, new activities are undertaken, including the marketing of teaching content, with which a larger proportion of the turnover is to be generated in the future. RCNi carried approx. GBP 12 million of sales.

RCN UK and RCNi are the only organizations within the group that employ staff. There is an agency agreement with the RCN Foundation that locates the necessary services within the RCN UK. In 2018, a total of 1008 people were employed full-time in the RCN Group.

Internal organization

The group is led by the RCN Council. The council is also the representation in union matters. Council members are elected by the RCN members. The council is advised by boards that organize the activities in the regions. Equally at the side of the boards are the Principal Committees, in which, for example, union activities are organized, but also the Professional Nursing Committee is located, which organizes the curricula and training. The third supporting pillar of the council are the administrative committees, in which governance , finances, audits and remuneration are administered.

The publishing company RCNi and RCN Holdco Ltd. are stand-alone companies wholly owned by RCN UK.

As is customary in business, external consulting firms are also employed to support the organization in its various activities.

The business is run by an executive team of full-time employees, the Chief Executive and Secretary General, the Directors for Finance and Business Enablement, Membership Relations, Nursing Practice and Policy and Organizational Capability and Change, and the Directors for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae Our History. The RCN from 1916 to the present. In: Royal College of Nursing website. Royal College of Nursing, accessed April 9, 2020 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c unknown: About the RCN. In: Royal College of Nursing website. Royal College of Nursing, accessed April 9, 2020 .
↑ unknown: Nurses must be able to rest, says Royal College of Nursing chief. In: Evening Express website. Evening Express, March 24, 2020, accessed April 9, 2020 (headline during the 2020 corona pandemic).
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Royal College of Nursing: Annual Report 2018 . Combined RCN Group annual report and consolidated financial accounts for year ended 31 December 2018. Ed .: Royal College of Nursing. (English, first edition: 2019).

[RCN-History-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae Our History. The RCN from 1916 to the present. In: Royal College of Nursing website. Royal College of Nursing, accessed April 9, 2020 .

[RCN-About-2] unknown: About the RCN. In: Royal College of Nursing website. Royal College of Nursing, accessed April 9, 2020 .

[EvPo-01-3] unknown: Nurses must be able to rest, says Royal College of Nursing chief. In: Evening Express website. Evening Express, March 24, 2020, accessed April 9, 2020 (headline during the 2020 corona pandemic).

[RCN-AnRep2018-4] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Royal College of Nursing: Annual Report 2018 . Combined RCN Group annual report and consolidated financial accounts for year ended 31 December 2018. Ed .: Royal College of Nursing. (English, first edition: 2019).