RCN briefings
Policy briefings, parliamentary briefings and consultation responses on the issues that matter to nursing staff
The RCN works with government, think tanks and other stakeholders to ensure the voice of nursing is heard. You can get involved in policy development by taking part in surveys, workshops, seminars and briefings.
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8 Sep 2026
Briefing: RCN Scotland's approach to public sector reform
The First Minister announced proposals for significant reform of health and social care services in the Programme for Government 2026-31. We understand that our members are, of course, concerned about what the proposals will mean for the services they deliver, for their patients and for their own jobs. We are calling for the Scottish government to set out very clearly how service delivery will be improved and establish clear measures to monitor whether this is achieved.
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4 Sep 2026
The Gloves Are Off campaign for the Scottish Parliament Elections 2026
The Gloves are Off was our campaign for the Scottish parliamentary elections 2026. Find out what we called for and why during the election campaign and continued to lobby for post election - because Scotland’s health depends on it.
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26 Aug 2026
RCN Scotland Briefing: Programme for Government
This parliamentary session, RCN Scotland is calling for nursing to be recognised as an investment, rather than viewed as a cost. The evidence couldn’t be clearer. When there are enough nursing staff, with the right skills, in any care setting – patients are safer.
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19 Aug 2026
RCN Scotland written evidence to the Finance and Public Administration Committee
As part of its pre-budget scrutiny, the Scottish Parliament's Finance and Public Administration Committee issued a call for views on the affordability and sustainability of Scotland’s tax and spending plans.
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19 Aug 2026
RCN Scotland written evidence to the Public Service Reform Committee
As part of its pre-budget scrutiny, the Scottish Parliament's Public Service Reform Committee issued a call for views on how the 2027-28 Scottish budget can promote public service reform, including by removing barriers to progress, promoting preventative approaches, and simplifying the delivery of public services.
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2 Jul 2026
POLICY: Evaluation of the impact of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 on nursing staff in 2024-25
2024-25 was the first year of the implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019. RCN was interested to discover the impact of the Act on nursing staff.
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4 Jun 2026
POLICY: Abortion law reform in Scotland
On 14 November 2025, the Expert Group on Abortion Law Reform in Scotland published its report, containing 36 recommendations. RCN Scotland have responded to the Scottish Government's stakeholder questionnaire on the recommendations.
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1 Jun 2026
RCN Scotland Last Shift Survey - Briefing
Every two years, the RCN conducts a major UK-wide survey of members. The Last Shift Survey asks respondents what the staffing levels were like the last time they were at work, how those staffing levels impacted on them, the care they were able to provide, and the impact of this on patients, service users and clients they care for. The latest survey ran for 5 weeks during March and April 2026 and was open to all RCN members providing direct patient care across health and care settings. Over 1,400 members in Scotland responded.
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14 May 2026
The Nursing Workforce in Scotland 2026
We are calling on the new Scottish government to prioritise workforce planning in its efforts to deliver health and social care reform. In our fifth report, we highlight that nursing staff have seen little meaningful improvement to health and care services, whether in the NHS or independent sector, including on fixing the workforce crisis.
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27 Feb 2026
POLICY: National guidance for NHS staff on speaking up in NHS Scotland
RCN response to survey on national guidance for NHS staff on speaking up in NHS Scotland
