Last month, we held the first of this year’s full Fellows’ meetings at RCN Headquarters and the second annual RCN Fellows’ dinner. It was a pleasure to see newly appointed Fellows mingling with those whose names have been included on the roll of honour for some time. In the room, there was a sense of friendship and fellowship that is much more tangible than when we meet online.
It was a personal honour to meet Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu (appointed RCN Fellow in 2004) and hear about her role during the King’s coronation, and to welcome Dame Eileen Sills (FRCN 2012) who spoke about her previous role as Chief Nurse at Guys and St Thomas’. It was also a great pleasure to welcome former RCN President Professor Dame Betty Kershaw (FRCN 2001) who remains an active member of the Fellows Group.
After dinner, we heard from RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen about recent issues facing the College and the plans for the visit of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins MP, to RCN Headquarters the following day. Some Fellows volunteered to join a Q&A with the Secretary of State, and I was impressed at how professional but challenging the audience was in putting questions to the Minister.
The interests and expertise in the room each time the Fellows meet is vast and with a shared sense of purpose to support nursing as it faces many external pressures. Many are involved in supporting younger colleagues and offering their time to various committees of the RCN.
We paid tribute to two Fellows who had died recently. Trish Morris Thompson, former Chief Nurse of NHS London was awarded the RCN Fellowship in 2012. Dr Clare Fagin had an exemplary career in academia, including being one of the first women to lead an Ivy league University in the US. She was awarded Honorary RCN Fellowship in 2002.
There was also happier news to share. Two books published by Fellows were mentioned during the meeting. Dr Peter Carter (FRCN 2020) has published his experiences of mental health nursing in My Asylum Days: How Mental Health Policy has Changed, while Vanessa Martin (FRCN 2008) has published The Great Ormond Street Nurse: My Life as Student Nurse in the 1960s.
The following day, we were joined by more RCN Fellows, including some online, and heard about a survey of Fellows’ international work, developments in the RCN Institute and creating national and regional opportunities for Fellows to meet and influence nursing more locally. There are Fellows’ events planned in Scotland and Wales in September, so do look out for information.
We will also be arranging another In Conversation with Nursing Pioneers around this time, so please look out for invitations to join us again online to hear from Fellows directly.
I look forward to the next Fellows’ meeting in November and to our annual Fellows’ dinner in April 2025. We will soon be welcoming a group of new Fellows at RCN Congress in June and look forward to getting to know them and hearing more about their varied and rich careers.
We are grateful to all the RCN staff who made the Fellows’ dinner possible and hope you enjoy some of the photographs from the event.
It was a personal honour to meet Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu (appointed RCN Fellow in 2004) and hear about her role during the King’s coronation, and to welcome Dame Eileen Sills (FRCN 2012) who spoke about her previous role as Chief Nurse at Guys and St Thomas’. It was also a great pleasure to welcome former RCN President Professor Dame Betty Kershaw (FRCN 2001) who remains an active member of the Fellows Group.
After dinner, we heard from RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen about recent issues facing the College and the plans for the visit of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins MP, to RCN Headquarters the following day. Some Fellows volunteered to join a Q&A with the Secretary of State, and I was impressed at how professional but challenging the audience was in putting questions to the Minister.
The interests and expertise in the room each time the Fellows meet is vast and with a shared sense of purpose to support nursing as it faces many external pressures. Many are involved in supporting younger colleagues and offering their time to various committees of the RCN.
We paid tribute to two Fellows who had died recently. Trish Morris Thompson, former Chief Nurse of NHS London was awarded the RCN Fellowship in 2012. Dr Clare Fagin had an exemplary career in academia, including being one of the first women to lead an Ivy league University in the US. She was awarded Honorary RCN Fellowship in 2002.
There was also happier news to share. Two books published by Fellows were mentioned during the meeting. Dr Peter Carter (FRCN 2020) has published his experiences of mental health nursing in My Asylum Days: How Mental Health Policy has Changed, while Vanessa Martin (FRCN 2008) has published The Great Ormond Street Nurse: My Life as Student Nurse in the 1960s.
The following day, we were joined by more RCN Fellows, including some online, and heard about a survey of Fellows’ international work, developments in the RCN Institute and creating national and regional opportunities for Fellows to meet and influence nursing more locally. There are Fellows’ events planned in Scotland and Wales in September, so do look out for information.
We will also be arranging another In Conversation with Nursing Pioneers around this time, so please look out for invitations to join us again online to hear from Fellows directly.
I look forward to the next Fellows’ meeting in November and to our annual Fellows’ dinner in April 2025. We will soon be welcoming a group of new Fellows at RCN Congress in June and look forward to getting to know them and hearing more about their varied and rich careers.
We are grateful to all the RCN staff who made the Fellows’ dinner possible and hope you enjoy some of the photographs from the event.
Share on X (formerly Twitter)
Share on Facebook
