Proposed changes to the RCN Standing Orders and Royal Charter

(Key changes are highlighted in bold)

Standing Orders

Definitions

ADD new definition:

1.18 "Health Practitioner" means a health practitioner admitted to Health Practitioner Membership of the College in accordance with Standing Order 5.2.4.

Membership

ADD new Standing Order 5.2.4:

5.2 The Council may admit to membership of the College in its discretion any persons who are:

5.2.1 on a register of persons engaged in nursing;
5.2.2 studying to acquire any of the qualifications necessary for them to have their name included on any register established by an Act of Parliament or by licence;
5.2.3 admitted to membership on the grounds of distinction in nursing;
5.2.4 engaged in supporting nursing in health and social care as Council may from time to time determine.

AMEND AND COMBINE Standing Orders 5.7 and 5.8 to continue to provide for associates or affiliates if required:

5.7 The Council may admit any persons as an associate/affiliate member of the RCN on such conditions as the Council shall, subject to the provisions of these Standing Orders, from time to time determine.

Composition of the Council and Method of Election

AMEND Standing Order 7.2 as follows:

7.2 There shall be 31 Council members comprising of the President, Deputy President, 28 Council members elected in accordance with the Standing Orders and the Chair of Congress ex officio. The Chair of Congress shall be a non-voting Council member.

AMEND Standing Order 7.4 as follows:

7.4 For the purposes of nomination and election to the Council there shall be fourteen constituencies: nine regional constituencies in England, and a country constituency in each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, a Student constituency, and a Health Practitioner constituency. Two Council Members shall be elected in each constituency.

ADD the following new Standing Orders to Section 9, to provide for the election of Health Practitioner Members of Council, and rename Section 9 "Student Members and Health Practitioner Members of RCN Council".

9.6 The right of nomination to each of these Health Practitioner places on Council shall be reserved to the Health Practitioner Membership through the constituency of such members recognised by the Council in the manner described in the RCN regulations. In the event of there being no person nominated to fill either of these places on the Council, the Council may appoint a person to fill the vacancy but before making such an appointment shall consult with the Health Practitioners’ Committee or that body recognised by the Council as representing the Health Practitioner Members.

9.7 Every Health Practitioner Member shall be entitled to cast one vote for any candidate for each of the Health Practitioner Member places to be filled on the Council; and

9.8 A Health Practitioner Member shall have all the rights as regards voting in ballots and at meetings of the College accorded to Members but no Health Practitioner Member of the College shall have the right to be nominated for election to the Council or to vote in the election of Council members (other than in the election of President and Deputy President) except to fill the Health Practitioner places on Council.

The President and Deputy President

AMEND Standing Order 12.4:

12.4 The President and Deputy President shall be elected by the Members from among Members who have been Members (but not Student or Health Practitioner Members) of the College for such period as the Council may from time to time determine nominated by such bodies as the Council may from time to time decide;

Elections for Chair, Vice-Chair and Honorary Treasurer

AMEND the first part of Standing Order 20.1:

20.1 The Council shall hold biennial elections for the offices of Chair and Vice-Chair of Council. These elections shall be separate but concurrent. With the exception of the Student Members and Health Practitioner Members, all voting Council Members shall be eligible for election. Council shall determine...etc.

Membership subscriptions

AMEND Standing Order 6.1 and ADD new Standing Order 6.2:

DELETE the following:

6.1 Every Member shall pay an annual subscription as shall from time to time be determined by the College in General meeting on the recommendation of Council

REPLACE 6.1 as follows:

6.1 The Council may determine and fix varying rates of subscriptions or instalments thereof for any Member or class of Members as it shall deem necessary or desirable subject to a ceiling of Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 2% provided that a review of this arrangement be carried out by a vote of the membership in general meeting every five years

6.2 Clause 6.1 may not be altered, amended, added to or repealed other than by resolution of the College in General Meeting passed by no less than two-thirds majority of the Members present or voting by proxy

[and renumber existing 6.2 as 6.3]

The RCN Royal Charter

Winding Up Clause

DELETE clause 22.2 and REPLACE as follows:

DELETE the following:

If on the winding up or the dissolution of the College there shall remain after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, that property shall not be paid or distributed among the Members of the College or any of them, but shall, subject to any special trusts affecting the same, be given and transferred to associations having objects similar to the objects of the College to be determined by the Council at or before the time of dissolution.

And REPLACE with:

If on the winding up or the dissolution of the College there shall remain, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, that property shall be distributed to the Members of the College.