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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.

  • 16 Dec 2013

    Moving Care to the Community

    Updated December 2014. Moving care out of hospitals and into the community has been a UK wide priority for over a decade; however despite the government's commitment to invest in the community, there is a mismatch between reality and rhetoric. The RCN has worked closely with our sister nursing organisations in Canada, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark to learn from their experiences relating to shift. This report sets out the current policies and initiative in the above-mentioned countries to move care closer to home; outlines the impact of these reforms on the nursing workforce; and offers recommendations for key stakeholders in the UK.

  • 16 Dec 2013

    The impact of the European Union on nursing in the UK

    Updated December 2014. The UK Coalition Government are currently undertaking a two year programme of reviews of the EU's competence in a number of areas, including health, compared with the UK's own powers. This briefing outlines the most significant issues and also provides more detail in the annexes on the RCN's key European alliances and on how the EU institutions work.

  • 9 Dec 2013

    Developing aggregate ratings for the acute sector in England

    This RCN briefing provides an overview of issues discussed by RCN members who took part in a teleconference with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on their development of aggregate ratings for the acute sector in England. This builds on the earlier input of members into the Nuffield Trust work on aggregate ratings.

  • 27 Nov 2013

    The Government’s full response to the Mid Staffordshire NHS FT Public Inquiry

    PowerPoint presentation that seeking to capture the key issues in terms of both what the Francis report has said and the Government response, which was tailored specifically to a nursing audience. This is an informative and accessible tool that can be used for discussions and to which we would welcome feedback.

  • 13 Nov 2013

    Frontline First: Congress 2012 update

    In this report we analyse official statsitics to assess the health of the nursing workforce and warn that the NHS may be sleepwalking into a crisis.

  • 12 Nov 2013

    Policy seminar – Integration

    The RCN hosted a policy seminar on 24 September 2013 attended by a number of executive nurses and directors of nursing (held under the Chatham House rule), to discuss the facilitators and barriers to creating an integrated health and social care system, and to share some international examples of integrated care to inform the debate. This briefing provides an overview of the seminar discussion.

  • 2 Sep 2013

    Sweden’s experience with shifting care out of hospitals

    This RCN briefing expands on the Swedish experience with moving care closer to patient’s home and the integration agenda. It specifically outlines the integration models in Jönköping and Norrtälje, and offers some learning opportunities for England. This briefing also complements the RCN’s larger piece of work on Moving care to the community: an international perspective.

  • 28 Aug 2013

    Briefing on the Trust Special Administration’s draft report for the future of services for local people using Stafford and Cannock Chase

    This RCN briefing describes the proposals in Trust Special Administration's draft report for the future of services for local people using Stafford and Channock Chase hospitals. consultation document.

  • 13 Aug 2013

    The Keogh Review and special measures

    This is a short factual RCN briefing on the Keogh Review report and to provide factual information on the special measures being applied to the 11 NHS trusts named by the Secretary of State for Health on 16 July 2013 (Hunt, 2013).

  • 29 Jul 2013

    Consultation on migrant access and financial contribution to the NHS in England

    This RCN briefing outlines and seeks member views on the Department of Health consultation “Migrant access to the NHS”. The consultation asks who should be charged for NHS services in future, what services they should be charged for and how can the system improve in identifying patients who should be charged.