Information for RCN activists about the RCN’s 2012  Annual General Meeting

A message from Professor Kath McCourt CBE FRCN, Chair of RCN Council

Kath McCourtThis year’s AGM is coming up on 17 October and will be held at Regent’s College in London.

It’s been a difficult year for nursing, and I am very aware of the impact this is having on you both at work and at home.  The impact of cuts and changes in the health services as well as the increasing threat of regional pay in the NHS, is putting increasing demand on the RCN. Inevitably, this means increasing demand on you.

The RCN could not support members without people like you. However, we’re also facing the cruel reality of rising costs.  Indemnity costs are increasing dramatically and we are fighting more battles for our members both locally and nationally.

To continue our existing levels of service and to carry on supporting you, Council has made the difficult decision to ask members to vote at the AGM for a very small increase in the membership subscription; just 32p a month for those on full payment plans in the nurse category of membership and 16p a month for those on full payment plans in the health practitioner membership category.  This new rate will be frozen until 2015 and the student rate will not be affected.
There will also be a number of votes on proposed amendments to the RCN’s standing orders. 

This document has been put together to help you promote awareness of the RCN’s annual general meeting 2012 and the votes, including the one on subscriptions. The aim is to encourage members to participate, either by coming to the event itself or by completing and returning their proxy voting form in advance.

The AGM is a key opportunity for members to get involved with the RCN and have their say on important issues. Therefore please do as much as possible to encourage members to take part.

Together, our goals are:

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Please support us by asking members to vote on these important matters.  This document can be added to on an ongoing basis – please email governance.support@rcn.org.uk with any questions or queries.

Kind regards
 
Professor Kath McCourt CBE FRCN,
Chair of RCN Council

AGM Questions and Answers

When and where is the AGM?

The RCN’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday 17 October 2012 at 11.30am, at Regent’s College, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS. 

Please note that due to ongoing construction work it will not be held at the RCN’s London HQ offices.

How do people attend and book?

Members can fill out an online booking form, text AGM with their name, membership number and postcode to 88020, call 029 2054 6460 or email agm@rcn.org.uk

What is on the programme for the day?

AGM agenda overview

  1. Welcome and introduction.
  2. To confirm the minutes of the AGM held on 26 October 2011.
  3. To receive the annual report of Council, the financial statements and the auditor’s reports for the year 2011/2012.
  4. To consider one ordinary resolution on membership subscriptions.
  5. To consider four special resolutions that require changes to RCN standing orders.
  6. To discuss any matters of a professional nature of importance to members (advance notice of these to Jane Clarke, Director of Governance Support, by emailing jane.clarke@rcn.org.uk).
  7. To receive the results of the election of President and Deputy President, student members of Council, Council member for the South East and health practitioner members of Council.

How can members ask questions at the AGM?

There is time during the AGM which allows members to ask questions of a professional nature.  Advance notice of these questions is appreciated – this allows Council and appropriate members of RCN staff to gather any information that may be needed to answer the question satisfactorily.  Questions can be submitted in advance to Jane Clarke, Director of Governance Support, by emailing jane.clarke@rcn.org.uk.  Questions on the day must be asked by emailing governance.support@rcn.org.uk.

Which annual reports are presented at the AGM?

At the AGM, members will hear a presentation of the RCN’s Annual Report and Accounts. It will include a report from RCN Council, a report on the financial activities of the RCN and the auditor’s report.  In previous years members have queried why the annual report of the RCN Foundation is not presented at the AGM. This is because the RCN Foundation exists as an independent charity and is accountable to its Board of Trustees. However, the RCN Foundation annual report is provided to members attending the RCN AGM for information.

What is a proxy vote?

A proxy vote allows members to vote at the AGM without attending.  It gives the President, the Chair of Council or a nominated member (who must attend the AGM) the permission to vote on behalf of a member in the ways that they have stated.

If a member intends to attend the AGM then they do not need to vote by proxy as they can vote in person at the AGM, but they cannot do both.  Details of all those who vote are recorded by Electoral Reform Services (ERS) to ensure that each member can only vote once.

If a member appoints the President, Chair of Council or any other Council member as your proxy, and gives no indication as to how they should act, they will vote in favour of the resolutions.

Proxy voting forms must be returned so that they are received no later than 11.30pm on Monday 15 October 2012.

How do members complete a proxy voting form?

If we have a valid email address for a member on the RCN membership database, they will be invited to cast their proxy vote electronically rather than return a postal vote. They will receive an email from Electoral Reform Services explaining how to do this – it is very simple and will only take a few minutes.

This is the first time we have conducted proxy voting for the AGM electronically.  It is environmentally friendly and also saves the RCN money (which helps us keep membership subscriptions down).

Members who have not given the RCN their email address will receive their proxy voting papers with their September issue of the RCN Bulletin magazine, or if they have opted out of receiving Bulletin they will receive their voting paper as a separate mailing.

What are members being asked to vote on?

Members are being asked to vote on five resolutions. Four of the resolutions are special resolutions about amending the RCN’s Standing Orders to bring them up to date on a number of issues. In addition members are being asked to agree an ordinary resolution on a small subscription increase which is vital to enable the RCN to carry on its current level of services and support for members in these difficult times.

What’s the difference between a special resolution and an ordinary resolution?

Amendments to the Standing Orders require a special resolution. This requires a 2/3 majority to be passed.
Other resolutions, such as the subscription increase resolution, are known as “ordinary resolutions”. These require a 50% majority to be passed.

What is the subscription increase resolution about?

Members are being asked to agree the following resolution:

From 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 the annual membership fee will be:
£198.72, an increase of 32p per month, for full nurse members
and
£99.36, an increase of 16p per month, for health practitioner members.

Why are members being asked to vote for this?

It has been a difficult year for nursing, with members facing increasing pressures from efficiency savings and changes in the health service, as well as the threat of regional pay. 

Inevitably, these difficult times have seen more members than ever turning to the RCN for support, as the cost of providing indemnity rises dramatically and we face even tougher battles to support and represent members locally, nationally and at UK level.

The RCN has done its best to keep costs down, and has managed to make savings and cut costs.  This year we did not increase membership subscriptions at all.  However, rising costs are a reality for both members and the RCN itself.
Therefore, we are now having to ask members for a very small raise in their subscriptions in order to continue to provide our valuable support and undertake vital work.

The increase in subscriptions will be just 32p a month for those on full payment plans in the Nurse category of membership and 16p a month for those on full payment plans in the Health Practitioner membership category.

Will subscriptions go up again the year after?

No, the new rate will be frozen until 2015.

Will student rates be affected?

No, the student rate will not be affected.

Will those on reduced payment plans be affected?

Those on reduced payment plans such as career break members will have their payments increased on a pro rata basis.

Will the retired member rate be affected?

No, the retired member rate will stay at £10.

Didn’t members vote on subscriptions at last year’s AGM?

Last year members were asked to give Council special dispensation to set membership subscriptions for the next five years.  This resolution narrowly missed being passed, which is why subscription increases must be again be voted on the membership each year. This makes financial planning more uncertain and it is even more important that members vote yes to this increase in order to give stability over the next two years.

What sort of legal support do members receive as part of their membership?

The RCN prides itself in providing a high level of legal services to its members.  If you are a full member, student or career-break member, health care assistant or nurse cadet, you are entitled to legal advice and, in appropriate circumstances, representation on any matter of law that occurs in the course of your employment.

In fact, the RCN has recently been shortlisted for the Law Society Excellence Awards, in the 2012 Excellence in Client Service category.

However, costs for providing this service are inevitably rising, and the proposed increase in membership subscriptions will help ensure members continue to receive the best service and support possible from our legal team.

What change to the RCN’s election cycle are members being asked to agree to?

Members are being asked to agree the following resolution:

To amend the RCN Standing Orders to enable the alignment of RCN elections to the calendar year.

Why are members being asked to vote for this?

Members have already agreed to holding the RCN AGM and Congress at the same time of the year, with this coming into effect in June 2014.  Currently, new Council members take up office after the AGM in October, however with the AGM moving to June from 2014 and being held alongside Congress, this is no longer practical.  Therefore the proposal is for terms of office to start on 1 January in election years.

What are members being asked to vote on in regard to defining RCN activists and representatives?

Members are being asked to agree the following resolution:

To amend the RCN Standing Orders to provide for the definition of RCN activists and representatives and to provide for the policies and processes associated with fulfilling their roles.

What will this change to the Standing Orders mean?

Some members may remember the old RCN Rule 6 which provided for RCN representatives. When the old Rules were superseded by Standing Orders the old Rule 6 no longer existed. This resolution will ensure that the Standing Orders now provide for a definition of activist and representative as well as the processes and policies in relation to filling these roles. It will also ensure that when these policies and processes are put together the rights of members will be protected.

What is the resolution around Health Practitioners?

Members are being asked to agree the following resolution:

To amend the RCN Standing Orders to enable one of the elected Health Practitioner Council members to become chair of the Health Practitioners Committee in line with the arrangements for the Students Committee and country and regional boards.

Why is this important?

A new Health Practitioner Committee has recently been formed, to represent the needs and interests of our HCA and AP members, and work with our new health practitioner Council members.  We simply need to amend the RCN Standing Orders so that the election procedure for this new committee is in line with our other committees and boards and that one of the new health practitioner members of Council will automatically become chair of the Health Practitioner Committee. In other words it will work like the country and regional boards and the RCN Students Committee – each of which are chaired by a Council member from the relevant constituency.

What is the resolution on casual vacancies on Council about?

Members are being asked to agree the following resolution:

To amend the RCN Standing Orders to ensure that casual vacancies on Council are filled by election.

What does this amendment mean?

This is a simply tidying up of the RCN Standing Orders; the change will ensure that casual vacancies on RCN Council are filled by election.  This ensures we are in line with trade union law.

How can I find out the exact proposed wording changes to the Standing Orders?

We have published the exact proposed wording changes on the RCN website. Click on this link to read them (PDF 36KB) [see how to access PDF files].

How can activists help promote the AGM?

Activists are crucial in helping us reach out to members about the AGM, ensuring that they understand what the day is about, and more importantly they understand the resolutions they are being asked to vote on.  Any assistance you can provide in promoting the AGM is appreciated.  Please help us: