Nursing across Independent Health and Social Care services | Employment and pay

We’re here to support all our members, no matter what sector or setting you’re employed in.

A significant and growing number of our members work in independent health and social care (IHSC). This diverse group includes all nursing staff employed in settings outside the NHS. That could be care homes, nursing agencies, private hospitals or somewhere else entirely. It also includes members – such as general practice nurses – who may provide NHS services but not be employed on Agenda for Change contracts.

This page signposts you to some of our most popular resources. Many of these will be relevant to all members working in IHSC, while others are tailored to particular roles or workplaces. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please get in touch by emailing ihsc@rcn.org.uk.

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Key IHSC resources

Many of these will be relevant to all members working in IHSC, while others are tailored to particular roles or workplaces.

Pay, terms and conditions in IHSC

Find information about pay, terms and conditions, including resources for starting conversations with your employer and requesting a pay rise.

Two nurses using a touch screen computer on a ward

Our work for members in IHSC

Read about the different ways we support our members in IHSC and find out who’s leading this work in your country or region.

Funding opportunities for IHSC

Read our list of funding opportunities across the UK open to IHSC professionals.

A nurse outside parliament in London, holding a placard for fair pay for nurses

Our fight for fair pay in IHSC employers

View a timeline of our recent campaigns for fair pay at a range of IHSC employers.

News and Events

Here you can find out all about the latest news, read insightful member blogs and view our related IHSC upcoming exciting events held at the RCN.

News and Blogs

Read the latest online member blogs and news across all nursing specialities within independent health and social care.

Upcoming IHSC events

Register your interest to attend a range of in-person and online events held at the RCN across independent health and social care.

General nursing resources

Most of the resources on our website are relevant to all members – no matter what sector or setting you’re employed in. This includes many of our advice guides and subject guides, as well as the clinical information on RCN Learn.

Advice guides

Advice for nursing staff about problems at work, ill health, careers, legal issues, money matters, counselling, and more.

Advice guides

Subject guides

These guides provide key resources, books and journals related to various subjects and nursing specialties in your area of practice.

Subject guides

RCN Learn

Providing you the latest nursing, health and social care learning resources, to support you with further your learning development.

RCN Learn

Workplace-specific resources

We also have a range of resources tailored to specific roles and workplaces within IHSC. You can access these resources through the relevant forum or network:

We're here for you

If you're an RCN member who needs help with any aspect of your employment, you can access online advice or contact us directly. We're here to help – wherever you work.

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Upcoming events

54 blog posts

Millie Simms 12 Nov 2024
Celebrating Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Nursing: Spotlight on our Rising Star Award winners

Millie Simms, our London regional IHSC lead nurse, shines a light on our three IHSC Rising Star winners who received their awards at our recent Black History Month event in London.
Samantha Mcloughlin 30 Oct 2024
Developing a nursing network

Samantha blogs about the challenges and obstacles to developing an inclusive nursing network in primary care, and the numerous benefits seen in collaborative working, nursing education, retention, restorative clinical supervision and patient care as a consequence of this innovation.
James Wilson 29 Oct 2024
Medical case manager: the nursing specialism you’ve probably never heard of

James Wilson, a medical case manager at Healix, shares how he coordinates comprehensive care beyond hospitals and clinics.
Claire Sutton 25 Oct 2024
'Hear from Claire' on things health and social care

You, me and EDI
Leanne Hume and Michelle Raddings 21 Oct 2024
A recap of our regional Independent Health and Social Care Conference

Leanne Hume and Michelle Raddings, our Lead Nurses for Independent Health and Social Care (IHSC) in the Northern and Yorkshire and the Humber regions respectively, discuss the recent success of a joint regional IHSC conference.