AGM vote
Published: 25 August 2010
A special message for the Emergency Care Association from RCN Chair of Council Sandra James
In early September you will receive your voting papers for this year's RCN AGM.
With your busy lives I know it's hard to find the time but please spare a few moments to read the information we send you and vote yes to some very important proposals.
We are asking you to vote on changes to the Royal Charter and bye-laws – these set out the aims of the College and how we work.
The aim is to update them, make them easier to understand, ensure they reflect the RCN as it is now, and improve the way the RCN works and takes decisions.
It is a further development of the work last year when members were asked to amend the Charter to set up the new RCN Foundation.
It is proposed to have four levels of governance regulation in the future and only changes at the very top level will need to seek Royal approval. The Privy Council prefers this for organisations like ours. The four levels are the Royal Charter itself, Rules, Standing Orders and Regulations.
Members will be asked to vote on six resolutions relating to this at the AGM.
One is about simply reclassifying the Bye-laws as standing orders and one covers a number of small changes to update, simplify and clarify some of the current wording.
The other resolutions are changes which Council believe members should be asked to vote on separately because of their significance. They are to amend the documents to:
• enable the RCN to hold the AGM and Congress at the same time if required - members have been saying this would be a good idea for some time and could save the RCN money
• make it possible for all members to become full members if required – again, many members think this is a good idea, saying it is unfair that HCAs, for example, can only be admitted as associated members and are not allowed to stand as Council members. Voting yes to this would lift that restriction and enable HCAs to become full members if that’s what the RCN decides it wants
• allow Council to set the membership subscription rate – Council has been doing this anyway for the last five years as it has had a special dispensation to do so. Voting yes would make this a permanent arrangement. This would end year on year financial uncertainty for the RCN and enable a proper assessment to be made each year before the rate is decided. Safeguards will be built in however, and any proposal of more than 2% over RPI would have to go to a membership vote
• rename the Association of Nursing Students as RCN Students – this will be much more inclusive of, for example, our midwifery students and those studying health and social care.
Thank you for reading this – please remember to vote and return your voting papers in order to be received by the closing date of Monday 18 October
Attending the AGM
To register your attendance at the AGM in London or to view it live at one of the RCN offices around the UK, text AGM with your name, membership number, postcode and preferred venue (see list below) to 88020*. You can also call 029 2054 6460 or email agm@rcn.org.uk
Venues
London
Belfast
Birmingham
Bolton
Bury St Edmunds
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Exeter
Leeds
Nottingham
Old Colwyn, Wales
Sunderland
Please note that you will only be able to vote in person at the AGM in London. Registration to view the AGM at an RCN office other than RCN HQ must be received by September 30 2010
For more information on attending the AGM, please contact Kathryn Clark, Assistant Conference and Events Manager, RCN HQ. Tel: 020 7647 3585.
* text messages are charged at your standard network rate