Submitting Congress agenda items

The call for Congress agenda items has now closed.

If you submitted a resolution or matter for discussion you will be informed by the end of December if your item has been accepted on to the draft agenda - the final agenda is agreed by RCN Council early in the new year.

The Agenda Committee decides which resolutions and matters for discussion make it onto the Congress agenda.

The aim of the Committee is to put together an agenda for Congress that:

• is interesting and relevant
• will foster and promote debate
• includes a wide range of topics which reflect the key current member concerns of members
• introduces new topics to advance thinking and discussion.

Agenda items must:

• be appropriate to the role and function of the RCN
• take account of the purpose of Congress and whether it is the most appropriate forum for discussion
• be current at the time of Congress.

Who can submit items?

One of the following bodies can submit a member's resolution or matter for discussion. They are always pleased to hear about members' ideas for agenda items.

• RCN boards
• RCN branches
• RCN national forums
• RCN Association of Nursing Students (ANS)
• RCN Council
• RCN UK Stewards' Committee
• RCN UK Safety Representatives' Committee
• RCN UK Learning Representatives' Committee.

What makes a good resolution or matter for discussion?

The Congress agenda includes both resolutions and matters for discussion. A resolution is basically an item on which members vote at the end of the debate. Its wording should indicate that specific action is being called for - for example, that RCN Council should lobby government on a particular issue. A matter for discussion, on the other hand, raises an issue with the purpose of exploring it and seeking members' views. Even though there is no vote on the issue, the content of the debate is incredibly useful and helps to inform the RCN's thinking in the future."

The best agenda items, and those which get the attention of members, the media and the public, are those which are current, topical and promote debate. Items which are directly relevant to patients will encourage media interest especially where the public will be keen to hear nurses' views.

It is also difficult to generate a good debate about a narrow specialist area so it is important to think about how the particular issue is relevant to other areas of practice The wording of an agenda item is critical too - it needs to be phrased succinctly and carefully so that members are clear about what they are being asked to consider."

Supporting information

The supporting information on the form will help the Agenda Committee in selecting the agenda items for Congress. It is your opportunity to persuade the committee that your item should be included. Again, the supporting information should be succinct and very clear. It is vitally important to check your facts and ensure that what you are saying is accurate.

Resolutions will not normally be accepted without the supporting information section of the form filled in.

A note about background information

Once the draft agenda has been agreed work will start on developing a short snappy title for each of the items and on developing some background information to help inform the debate. If your item has been accepted you will be contacted and will be involved in this process but you don't have to write the title or background information yourself.