Nursing counts
As part of the nursing family, our members represent one of the most powerful and important voting groups in the country. The RCN Nursing counts campaign aimed to get the voice of nursing heard during the 2010 General Election.
Our dedicated website provided all the tools members needed to get involved in speaking up for patients and having their priorities heard by their local candidates. The RCN manifesto spelled out exactly what the priorities of RCN members were and called for candidates to take action when they took office.
Support and involvement included:
- 25,000 campaign sign-ups through the Nursing counts website
- 9,000 emails sent to local candidates
- 30,000 emails sent to the party leaders during the campaign
- 4,000 Facebook friends of the Nursing counts campaign page
- 86% of supporters told their friends or families or colleagues about the campaign
- 57% of supporters said the campaign had made them more likely to vote
- The majority of supporters (70%) said that the campaign would lead to a more informed parliament on nursing issues
- 700 Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) signed up to Nursing counts
- 133 current MPs pledged support (representing more than 1:6 in parliament)