Royal College of Nursing

We are the world’s largest nursing union and professional body. We are over half a million nurses, midwives, nursing support workers and students working together to advance our profession.

Approach to Healthcare

The RCN acts to represent members in workplace disputes, lobbies governments to influence health policy, sets professional standards, and provides legal, educational, and financial support services

Impact of Product/Services on Healthcare

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) significantly impacts health by strengthening nursing, influencing policy, and advocating for safe staffing, which is directly linked to patient safety and reduced mortality.

Innovation

The RCN recognises the unique value of nursing professionals and is actively campaigning for:
Corridor care to be eradicated, including mandatory public reporting of each incidence
Legal protection for people raising concerns about unsafe staffing
The introduction of professionally and legally enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios, with a safety-critical maximum number of patients per registered nurse in every health care setting
Legislation to protect the ‘nurse’ title in law
A commitment to introduce or maintain government-funded nursing degrees with investment in higher education and a job guarantee for all registered nurse graduates, reducing the reliance on international recruitment as well as implementing a loan forgiveness scheme for nurses working in public services.
Government-level accountability for nursing workforce planning and supply in law, with ministers accountable for having enough staff to meet the health needs of the population based on transparent assessments which address inequalities

Future Direction

To deliver on our commitments to members and our public