RCN Board elections 2013

Nominations for these elections are now closed and we are currently verifying the eligibility of candidates.

Note – though nominations for these elections have now closed, vacancies on boards do occur at various times and we welcome your interest. If you are committed to making a difference to nursing and health and are looking for opportunities for both personal and professional development please consider standing in the future. If you would like to be kept in touch with details of vacancies on your country or regional board please email us at governance.support@rcn.org.uk

You can find out more about being a board member here.

[See how to access PDF files].

What is the timetable for the Board elections 2013?

2 April 2013 - Opening of nominations
7 May 2013 - Close of nominations
7-17 May 2013 - Verification that candidates are eligible to stand 
20-21 May 2013 - Publication of candidates details on website
10 June 2013 - Dispatch of voting papers (electronically)
19 July 2013 - Close of voting
26 July 2013 - Announcement of results
1 August 2013 - New members take up office

The successful candidates will be expected to attend an induction session as well as Board and other meetings. Board meetings will take place a minimum of three times per year.

Elections in your country or region

Click on the relevant link below to view the election procedure for your country or region to find out full details on the Board member elections in your area. 

Information about voting constraints can be found further down this page under "How does voting work?".

• Eastern region (PDF 50KB)
• East Midlands region (PDF 49KB)
• London region (PDF 49KB)
• Northern region (PDF 48KB)
• North West region (PDF 49KB)
• Scotland (PDF 98KB)
• South East region (PDF 49KB)

Who can vote?

All members in each country/region listed above are eligible to vote in the elections for their country/region provided that they are fully paid up members with a workplace/education address in the country/region at the time of the close of nominations.

How does voting work?

As part of the RCN’s recent Legal and Governance review a number of changes to Boards and the election process were agreed by Council and are summarised below:

• Members from any part of the region can stand for election. However, constraints may be applied by the board at the voting stage, to ensure the final composition reflects the membership of the region if the board so determines.
• Boards will, in future, have a maximum size of 15 including the two Council members.
• Transition plans have been agreed for each Board to enable them to achieve the new Board size over two election cycles.
• The new voting model enables all members in a country/region to vote for the candidates whom they think will best fulfil the role of a Board Member.
• In order to stand or sign nominations members must be in full payment plans in any of the three membership categories – Nurse, Health Practitioner or Student. This means that those in other payment plans such as retired or voluntary break would not be eligible.
• Voting will be conducted electronically and you will receive a voting email from Electoral Reform Services who are conducting the vote on behalf of the RCN – please ensure we have a current email address for you, otherwise you will not receive a voting paper. Go to www.rcn.org.uk/myrcn to update your details.

Once all the votes are received, the agreed constraints will be applied to elect the successful Board members.

Other information

• RCN guide to election procedures (PDF 140KB)
• Campaigning guidance and regulations (PDF 20KB)
• A Dignity Charter for RCN members (PDF 56KB)

Please note:

In order that the elections are fair as possible and that no candidate is disadvantaged, the RCN will be in touch with all candidates to discuss campaign support, as well as what candidates can and cannot do.  Further information about candidate campaigning is also included in the RCN’s Guide to Elections procedures (PDF 140KB).

Equal opportunities

The RCN is committed to supporting equality and diversity. If you would prefer any documents on this page in a different format, please email governance.support@rcn.org.uk or telephone 020 7647 3642.