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A collage of three members of nursing staff with the text 'lead govern inspire' and the RCN HQ building in the background

RCN Council

The role and function of our highest governing body

As the world’s largest nursing union and professional body, we must be at the top of our game in decision-making. 

Achieving that requires dynamic, experienced nursing leaders who ask the right questions and represent every one of our members, at every career stage.

That's the role of RCN Council, a group of 17 elected members from across the UK.

Graphic reading 'RCN Council Election 2024 - Lead, Inspire, Govern' on a red and blue background

What does Council do?

  • Council represents over half a million members 

    Our Council members work on behalf of every one of our members to guide the world’s largest nursing union and professional body. 

  • Council makes bold, transparent decisions

    Our Council members must be thorough and diligent decision-makers. They're not afraid to get under the skin of the complex political, financial and sectoral issues affecting our College, members and profession. They should be extraordinary nursing professionals who can work as a collective to help us make bold, transparent decisions on behalf of all our members.

  • Council seeks assurances that we'll do what we say we'll do for our members

    Council members should be experienced, dynamic and insightful people who care deeply about our profession, ask robust, thoughtful questions and seek assurances that we’re representing every member at every career stage. They provide rigorous oversight to make sure we operate effectively and meet our legal and statutory requirements.

Who sits on Council?

Our Council is made up of 17 elected members. 14 of these members are elected directly to the role:

1 nurse member is chosen from each of our countries and regions. These Council members collaborate to provide guidance and direction on our vision and strategic aims.  

This Council member is elected by our nursing support worker members. They have a particular focus on ensuring that these members are considered in decision-making, while also working on behalf of all our members. 

This Council member is elected by our student members. They have a particular focus on ensuring that these members are considered in decision-making, while also working on behalf of all our members. 

These 14 members choose 3 Council officers from among themselves. The officer roles are:

The Chair of Council is responsible for leading Council and ensuring that our College and our Executive Team have a clear strategic vision for achieving our objectives and supporting our members.

The Vice Chair of Council supports the Chair in leading Council and deputises for them when appropriate.

The Honorary Treasurer keeps Council updated on all financial matters relating to our College and ensures that Council members are informed about their financial duties. 

The remaining 3 Council members are ex-officio members, meaning they automatically have a place on Council as a result of being elected to another role within our College. These 3 roles are:

Our President embodies the vision and ambition of our College, working closely with our General Secretary and Chief Executive and Chair of Council to lead change.

The Deputy President works with and supports the roles of the President, General Secretary and Chief Executive, as well as the Chair of Council. 

The Chair of Congress convenes our largest and most important agenda-setting event of the year, RCN Congress. They are a non-voting member of Council.

Council elections are now open

We're now inviting extraordinary members to put themselves forward for a seat on Council. If you think you have the experience, knowledge, dexterity and humility to represent over half a million of your fellow RCN members, get started today.

The deadline for submitting your nomination is 4.30pm on Thursday 29 August.

Before putting yourself forward...

Please answer these 4 questions to make sure a Council position is right for you.

1. Have you checked that you’re eligible for the role you wish to put yourself forward for?

Please read our full eligibility criteria on the nomination page for Council and the nomination page for President and Deputy President.

To put yourself forward for:

  • a regional or country Council seat, you must be a registered nurse and have been a paying RCN member for 3 years or more
  • the roles of President or Deputy President, you must be a registered nurse and have been a paying RCN member for 5 years or more
  • the nursing support worker Council seat, you must be a nursing support worker and have been a paying RCN member for 3 years or more
  • the student Council seat, there is no set amount of time that you must have been a paying RCN member, but you must be a student RCN member and remain so until at least 1 July 2025

In addition, to put yourself forward for any Council seats, you must have the backing of two named RCN members. Details of who can be a nominator can be found on the nomination page for Council and the nomination page for President and Deputy President.

If you’re unsure about your eligibility, please get in touch at elections@rcn.org.uk.

Thanks for your interest, but only members who meet these eligibility criteria can put themselves forward for a Council seat.

Please visit our 'Get involved' page to find another opportunity that's right for you.
2. RCN Council members are representatives of each and every one of our members, regardless of where they work. Do you commit to making decisions on behalf of the entire RCN membership, in all four nations, not just your region or country?

If you would prefer to only represent members local to you, we recommend you look at other roles.

Please visit our 'Get involved' page to find another opportunity that's right for you.

3. As a Council member, you’ll be required to make time to carry out your role effectively. Can you commit to the following requirements?

  • The estimated time commitment for Council Members is a minimum of 6 days per month, including some regional activity. This includes formal planned and ad hoc meetings, attending events, reading papers and engaging with members.
  • The RCN Council meets at least 5 times per year in person, hybrid or online. The majority of these meetings are at RCN HQ (20 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0RN), but Council also meets once a year at Congress and the AGM is sometimes held outside of London. Ad hoc meetings of Council may be required between planned meetings for timely discussion and/or decision making.
  • Council members are expected to attend Congress each year.
  • In addition, Council members are expected to be members of and/or Chair at least one other committee reporting to Council.

Being a Council member requires a significant time commitment. If you don’t feel you can commit to this, why not get involved in other ways?

Please visit our 'Get involved' page to find another opportunity that's right for you.

4. All Council members must commit to behaving respectfully and collaboratively during their time on Council. Do you commit to upholding the principles of our respect charter?

  1. We acknowledge that our personal behaviour has an impact on others.
  2. We value our differences and recognise that we will not always share the same views.
  3. We grow from our mistakes by working and learning together.
  4. We respect and preserve confidentiality.
  5. We treat everyone with courtesy and respect, and act with integrity at all times.

In the event of these commitments being breached, incidents will be handled in accordance with our disciplinary policy, other relevant policy or framework. 

Thanks for completing our quick questionnaire. We look forward to receiving your nomination. 

Start the formal process to put yourself forward for a role on Council:

We can only accept nominations from members who can commit to upholding the principles of our respect charter. 
A smiling woman holding a stack of books

Put yourself forward for a role on Council

Read the full eligibility criteria and fill in our form to get started.
A smiling woman

Put yourself forward for President or Deputy President

Read the full eligibility criteria and fill in our form to get started.

How are Council members elected?

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Step 1:

Eligible members nominate themselves 

 Members nominate themselves online. Each nominating member needs the support of two other members.

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Step 2:

Candidates are announced

We publish candidates online, so you can learn more about them and decide who to vote for.

Illustration of a voting box
Step 3:

Voting opens

You’ll have around a month to vote for your preferred candidate or candidates. Voting takes place by post.

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Step 4:

Council members are announced 

After voting closes, we inform candidates of the outcome. We then announce the results on our website and in an email to all our members.

Council meetings: Get the inside track

Access the minutes from Council's monthly meetings to see how our Council members make decisions. 

Join the discussion

Our members are invited to submit proposals for discussion at Council's monthly meetings.

Hear from former Council members about their experiences

Dr Denise Chaffer, former President

Charlotte Hall, former Student Member

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