Develop an approach to support diversity of membership in all governance forums.

Progress

In August 2023, RCN Council committed to re-establishing the RCN Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The Committee has now been set up with representation across the RCN Group structure. Terms of reference have also been agreed and the committee met for the first time in June 2024.

A suite of initiatives to address issues of equity and inclusion were put in motion, beginning with the development and launch of our new group-wide Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which we launched in May 2024. We’re also developing a long-term anti-racism plan as well as self-organised member networks to ensure that members from diverse backgrounds are heard within our governance structures.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Since January 2024, we’ve engaged with members through activities including an all-member survey and targeted focus groups to develop the core strategic principles that would go on to form the basis of our new strategy. Members of RCN Council, our Trade Union and Professional Nursing Committees, and our Students and Nursing Support Workers Committees were also involved.

Core themes include:

• Leaders take accountability for EDI.
• Ensuring advocacy for all member voices.
• Facilitating support and collaboration across all communities.
• Encouraging diverse representation in governance.
• Creating inclusive workplaces for all members.

Member networks

Member networks will be delivered, with a pilot due by the end of 2024. Joint working has been established with the Activist Academy to explore best practice in this area. And there has been significant learning from the Forums review about the appropriate levels of support for the emergent networks, including consideration of the need for formal visibility within the governance structure. 

There are 13 elements to this recommendation, 4 of which have been completed. 8 elements will be completed during 2025, and all work on this recommendation is expected to be completed by December 2026. 

Review the current approach to member elections to assess the impact on effective decision-making in terms of diversity, inclusion and turnover.

Progress

The goal of encouraging a wider range of people – including women, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic members and members with a disability – to take up governance positions, is a central part of the new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy. A working group from the EDI team and governance has been established to take a structured and systematic approach to this work and to review current practice.

The elections for Council 2025 attracted a far more diverse set of members and has culminated in a more diverse Council.  Also, for the first time, two boards applied global majority constraints to their board election processes, stipulating that at least one seat on the board must be filled by a member from the global majority.

There are 3 elements to this recommendation, 1 of which has been completed. A further 1 element is expected to be completed by December 2026. All work on this recommendation is expected to be completed by December 2027.