The RCN's Legal and Governance review

The RCN is undertaking a review of its legal and governance structures. The goal is to continue to fulfil our aims as a professional trade union which meets the needs of nursing now and in the future. The changes will not affect the ongoing provision of services to RCN members. It's very much business as usual.

You can read Kath McCourt's latest update below.

Update from Kath McCourt, Chair of RCN Council

1 January 2012 update

I am pleased to give you my first update on the Legal and Governance Review since being elected RCN Chair of Council.

Firstly I would like to thank all of you who attended the AGM in October last year. It was great to see such a high attendance and to hear first-hand your questions, comments and concerns around the issues currently facing nursing.

The AGM saw votes on some important resolutions, and I was delighted with the success of the resolution to give health practitioners, such as health care assistants and assistant practitioners, full RCN membership. Over 80% of you voted “yes”, giving health practitioners two guaranteed seats on Council. This is an important step, as it is vitally important that all of our members have a voice at our top table. At our February meeting Council will discuss and agree the timescales for the elections of our first health practitioner seats.

An overwhelming 98% of you voted to amend our Royal Charter so that that in the unlikely event of the RCN being wound up, any surplus would be distributed among the members of the College. This means that, like many other membership organisations, the RCN will achieve mutual trading status. This is important for tax reasons, now that the RCN is no longer a registered charity.

The resolution to allow Council special dispensation to set member subscription rates was not agreed. Council will now be reviewing how subscription rates are set in the future. As you will know, Council already decided some time ago that there will be no rise in subscription rates for 2012.

You can read detailed results of the votes on the AGM website.

Another core work strand of the Legal and Governance review is the current review of our country and regional boards. Many of you will be aware that there are a number of drivers for this review not least of which is variation in how the boards work. Whilst there is much good practice it is really important to have consistent ways of working in place to ensure that the views of members in each country and region inform Council’s thinking and decision making.

Of course it’s vital that the boards themselves play a key role in the review and we are currently in the second phase of an engagement exercise with board members. It is really important that board members have the opportunity to consider the work that has been completed so far and provide information and ideas for the future.

I’m also very pleased that 1 January marks the introduction of our new membership categories which are far simpler and clearer. You can find out more about the new categories on the membership pages of our website.

If you wish to find out more about the Legal and Governance Review please feel free to email Council at our new email address – council@rcn.org.uk and myself, or one of my Council colleagues, will be please to respond.

Best wishes for a wonderful New Year

Kath