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RCN Scotland Activist Conference

RCN Scotland Activist Conference 2025

We are delighted that you are joining us in Edinburgh for our 2025 RCN Scotland Activist Conference.

After last year when we were able to get back to being together in the same place, we are delighted to build on that momentum as we approach the largest reps’ conference attendance since 2010.

As a steward, learning rep, health and safety rep or student ambassador you have played a vital role over the past year since we last came together in supporting our members in workplaces and universities across Scotland. Our members continue to face incredibly difficult challenges and you have made the difference in getting the voice of nursing heard.

We are looking forward to sharing these two days with you, reflecting on what has been achieved, learning the lessons and considering how we can apply this to our work and support for members in the years ahead.

The team have worked hard to develop a varied and interesting programme and we hope you enjoy spending time learning, catching up with colleagues and sharing experiences. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself too.

Programme

11:30am

Arrival / Bag drop
12pm

Lunch and exhibition stand
1pm

Welcome and housekeeping
Julie Lamberth, Chair of RCN Scotland Board
1:20pm

Keynote address
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Executive Director
1:40pm Split briefings for cohorts 1 and 2 
 Julie Lamberth, Chair of RCN Scotland Board

 

Cohort 1  Cohort 2
2pm           Patch-focussed networking

3pm           Check in, coffee, and exhibition stands

3:30pm     A problem defined is one half solved
                    Eileen McKenna, Associate Director— 
                    Nursing, Policy, and Professional Practice

4pm           In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity - Crucial
                    conversations		 2pm           New thinking for new solutions
                    Based on the “Harm by Behaviour—The Silent Killer Development
                    Programme”

                    Includes a coffee and comfort break

 

5pm

Conference close
Julie Lamberth, Chair of RCN Scotland Board
7:15pm

Welcome and dinner
8.45pm

Quick fire quiz and disco
 DJ Comms and Quiz Master Kev
11.15pm

Close

 

9am

Sum-up of Day 1 and intro to Day 2
Julie Lamberth, Chair of RCN Scotland Board
9:15am

Nursing Scotland’s Future: the role of nursing in improving Scotland’s public health
Niki Stark, Senior Public Affairs Officer
10:45am

Coffee and comfort break

 

Cohort 1 Cohort 2
11:15am     New thinking for new solutions
                    Based on the “Harm by Behaviour—The Silent Killer Development
                    Programme”

                    Includes a coffee and comfort break		 11:15am     Patch-focussed networking

12:15pm     Lunch break

1pm            A problem defined is one half solved
                    Eileen McKenna,Associate Director—
                    Nursing, Policy, and Professional Practice

1:30pm      In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity- Crucial
                    conversations

 

3pm

Keynote address
Nicola Ranger, General Secretary & Chief Executive of RCN 
3:25pm

Sum-up of Day 2 and conference close
Julie Lamberth, Chair of RCN Scotland Board

 

 

General information

Delta Hotels by Marriott Edinburgh, 111 Glasgow Road, Edinburgh, EH12 8NF
Car parking at the hotel is free to all those attending the conference. Please make sure you type in your registration at the various screens in the hotel to register your car. Ask a member of staff if you need assistance.
There will be a group check in at the end of day 1 at 5.05pm however you can leave your luggage with reception upon arrival. Please collect your room key from the RCN Scotland registration desk in the downstairs lobby. You will not be able to check in prior to this, so please don’t attempt to check in at the reception of the hotel.
For security purposes, participants must wear their badges at all times. Participants will not be admitted to the conference sessions without the appropriate badge.
Please refer to the programme for details of the times and locations of all conference sessions. Staff will be on hand to guide you as necessary.
If you have not already done so prior to the conference please notify staff at the registration desk if you have any specific requirements and we will do our best to accommodate you (for example - dietary, accessibility etc.)
We do encourage you to join in social media activity around the conference, for example, on Facebook/Instagram/X using the hashtag #RCNScotActivists2025, however, out of courtesy to other delegates, please ensure all mobile devices are set to silent mode.
The RCN will not accept any liability for loss or damage to personal effects which may arise as a result of attendance at this event.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is committed to providing high quality and consistent learning and development for reps to support them in their role. As part of assuring the quality of the learning experience for reps, all continuing RCN learning and development will be undertaken to a set of quality standards. These standards have been developed and cross -referenced with the RCN Quality Assurance Standards for Development of Products and Services. The workshops and sessions included in this conference have been developed in line with these standards and mapped to the RCN Rep Role Descriptors.

The RCN believes in lifelong learning and actively promotes continuing professional development for all nurses. The NMC revalidation process requires registered nurses to complete a minimum of 35 hours CPD over the three years prior to renewal of your registration, 20 of which must be participatory learning. Authorised RCN event certificates of attendance will be issued to all participants. This event is also subject to the RCN Events Quality Assurance Framework. You should log what you have learnt at this event and keep this record and your certificate of attendance in your personal professional portfolio.Certificates will be available from the registration desk during the lunch break on day 2.

For your CPD hours:

  • The whole conference would be equivalent to 10h45m of participatory CPD
  • Only attending day 1 would be equivalent to 5h15m of CPD
  • Only attending day 1 with optional additional session would be equivalent to 5h45m of CPD
  • Only attending day 2 would be equivalent to 5h30m of CPD

http://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/revalidation/how-to-revalidate/

RCN Library and Information Services put you in control of your own learning. Via the RCN website or by getting in touch with our expert staff at the RCN Scotland Learning Hub in Edinburgh, you can find the information most relevant to your learning needs – whether it is finishing your latest assignment or finding the most up-to-date evidence on clinical practice. We also offer an outward-facing service to RCN members across Scotland and bring library and information services to workplaces, universities and events. If you and your colleagues would like to arrange a work-place training session or find out more about our outreach service, then please get in touch.

Email: scotland.library@rcn.org.uk
Tel: 0131 662 6163/4
Follow us on social media @RCNLibraries
https://www.rcn.org.uk/library

Following the conference we will be sending out an evaluation survey by email. We would very much appreciate it if you could complete the survey for us as soon as possible after the event as your feedback is very important to us to support any improvements required and to inform future programme planning.

Exhibition stands

The RCN Library and Information Services team are on hand to support you to access and promote the service in your representative role. From building your evidence base in a statement of case, getting the most up-to-date health and safety journal articles, to helping members access reflective nursing tools, the team are expertly placed to get you where you want to be.
Liza Brogan welcomes you to join her and ask any questions or raise any issues you have about the RCN systems available to you. Why not build your confidence in using the tools, learning from our system experts, who make it all as straight forward and easy as possible.
Quilter is the RCN’s partner for professional financial advice to members and staff. Financial planning for retirement is no longer just a case of putting money into a pension. Visit the Quilter stand and find out how members can benefit from workplace events and professional advice to create a financially secure retirement using a range of financial products in the correct manner.
Your local officers and patch administrators will be hosting a stand where you can meet, in person, the people who work day in, day out, to maximise and support you with the impact you have on improving the lives of members. The team will be there to listen to your thoughts, offer discrete supervision and build your networks of support.
Sue Timmins will provide bespoke 1:1 and small group guidance at a stand dedicated to getting your day to day expenses incurred during your role as an RCN rep quickly and easily reimbursed. Want to know more about making a branch funding claim? Sue is the RCN staff member to know!
Following on from the success of our second awards in 2024, the Royal College of Nursing in Scotland is delighted to be holding our next Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards in June 2025. We are delighted to invite applications in the 12 categories. Collect your posters and flyers to help promote the awards in your area.
Established in 1998 in the Southern General Hospital by Robert Rae (founding member) to promote savings and a culture of financial wellbeing across the workforce. NHS Credit Union has for the past 26 years, provided ethical saving & investment opportunities, alongside fair lending to NHS Scotland staff and their families. Members enjoy the benefits of payroll deduction, instant access to their money through the member app and free savings and loans protection with products. On International Women’s Day 2023, it launched the Safe Harbour Service, under the Scottish Government equally safe strategy around economic and domestic abuse. With 24000 members and growing, NHS Credit Union were honoured to support the 2024 RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards.

Page last updated - 09/09/2025

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