RCN South West region

Message from Director and Board Chair

Kate Tompkins, Regional Director Kate Tompkins
Regional Director		 Alan Mawbey, Chair, South West regional board Alan Mawbey
Chair
South West regional board

Office move

We have now complete our office move and have relocated to our new purpose built accomodation on the outskirts of Exeter.  New contact details are listed in: About us. Staff have worked very hard to ensure as little disruption to members as possible and things are begining now to settle down.

Regional overview

The RCN South West, one of nine RCN geographical sections in England, covers Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Bristol and Gloucestershire.

As the local face of the RCN, our staff and workplace representatives support both nurses and nursing across the whole of this large geographical area, working proactively to improve services in response to members needs and the impact of government policy that is changing the face of the NHS. 

Our work involves commenting on consultation and proposals, as well as active negotiations on behalf of our members. To ensure that nursing is prominent in the future NHS, we offer leadership and other training.

Annual regional review

This document holds a host of information detailing RCN regional activity for 2008/9.

Download the annual regional review (PDF 289KB) [How to access PDF files]. 

If you require this document in a different format please contact the regional office: southwestern.region@rcn.org.uk.

Influencing the political agenda

We ensure that the RCN's council and General Secretary are informed on the reality for members working in the NHS and Independent sector. This information supports their roles in influencing government policy and lobbying. Additionally we influence the political agenda by talking to MPs and councillors, as well as trusts and Independent sector employers in the region.

We are committed to a robust programme of training and support for our workplace representatives, who have the difficult job of balancing RCN work with their 'day job'.  Our volunteers undertake a huge range of roles, including branch executive members, stewards and forum representatives: they are integral to every aspect of our work.

The RCN Board

Our Board, made up of fields of practice and branch representatives, work closely with RCN staff, with individuals acting as board champions on each of the groups that manage the operational plan. These groups cover all that we do now and all we aim to do in the future. Read more in The Regional Board.