Get involved with the RCN

HCA/AP network

Join the health care assistant (HCA) and assistant practitioner (AP) network so that your voice can be heard and best practice shared.

The network is free to join for HCA and AP members and will give you access to:

  • communicating with like-minded colleagues
  • HCA and AP events throughout the year in your region or country
  • a dedicated project group member who will ensure your views and opinions are heard by feeding back to the RCN HCA team
  • regular updates from the Health Care Assistant Adviser.

For more information on the network and how to join please visit the HCA/AP network page.

Become an RCN activist

RCN activists are vital to the successful working of the RCN in whatever role they take on. As an activist you can make a difference to nurses, health care assistants and your professional development. There are a number of different types of roles:

  • stewards
  • safety representatives
  • learning representatives.

Please visit RCN activists for further information.

Join a forum

Thousands of RCN members join together via the specialist nursing forums. If you are interested in keeping up with news in your field of practice then you should join an RCN forum too. You will receive regular newsletters from your forum committee, can read online content in the forum's online community and network with colleagues in the forum's area on the Discussion Zone.

Please visit RCN forums to join today.

Become a Diversity Champion

Diversity champions act as leaders for diversity and equality. They act as role models, taking actions when appropriate and addressing behaviours when necessary. They ask questions to check that diversity in its broadest sense is being recognised, understood and considered as integral to the decision making and evaluation processes. A good diversity champion doesn’t need to know all the answers but needs to be prepared to spend some time developing their own personal competencies around diversity and equality issues.

Diversity champions should:

  • recognise that diversity and equality are intrinsic to the success and performance of their own organisation
  • treat others with dignity and respect
  • challenge and overcome obstacles in mainstreaming diversity and equality issues
  • create a positive work environment
  • place a high value on diversity and fairness
  • remove any barriers that may impede progress around diversity and equality issues
  • actively support efforts to make the work environment and his/her respective organisation inclusive
  • make an effort to regularly communicate the benefits of diversity and the organisation’s successes within that agenda.

For more information about being a diversity champion please email diversity.team@rcn.org.uk.