Governance recommendations

Progress

Our 5-year strategy, A New Dawn for Nursing, has been agreed and published, and the implementation phase is underway. The strategy was developed through extensive member and staff engagement and consultation. It has four clear, distinct goals which will set a clear path going forward. A detailed strategic roadmap has been developed and has been scrutinised by the Executive Team and Council.

Progress

This recommendation requires us to review and update the role descriptors and person specifications for all of our elected positions, as well as for the General Secretary and chief Executive. Work has begun on each of these and is on track to be completed by the end of December 2024.

Progress

Updated terms of reference have been approved and published for the Trade Union Committee, the Professional Nursing Committee, the Fellows Co-ordinating Committee, the Forums Governance Group, the Governance Support Committee, the Group Audit Committee, the International Committee, the Remuneration Committee and, the Nursing Support Workers Committee. Updated terms of reference for our three UK reps committees are due to be approved in November 2023. All other activity relating to this recommendation is on course to be completed by April 2024. In August 2023, RCN Council announced that the RCN Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee would be re-established. The RCN Council has agreed Terms of reference for the committee.

Progress

Work on this recommendation is ongoing and on track to be completed by 31 March 2024.

Progress

The role of external advisors to support the work of our committees was highlighted by KPMG. This work will be a priority for the new Director of Governance when they join the RCN in November and will be undertaken in two stages: the creation of external advisor role descriptors for the Finance and Investment, Group Audit, Remuneration and Governance Support committees (by 31 July 2024) and, a review of the skills required to support the RCN and processes to review both the skills required and the roles themselves (by 31 December 2024).

Progress

We now use consistent formats and templates for Council meetings. The new templates, which will be reviewed annually, include a clear executive summary of the paper, its level of confidentiality and, the steps taken to demonstrate the papers has been properly scrutinised before reaching Council. Work is being undertaken to assess how such standardised ways of working could be incorporated across other parts of the organisation to improve communication and efficiency. This work is due to be completed by the end of January 2024. At the 2023 AGM, Council committed to providing a mechanism for members to propose agenda items for Council meetings. A process has been developed and agreed by Council.

Agree on the length and frequency of meetings.

Progress

KPMG's recommendation was to 'reduce the time for Council and committee meetings. Shorter and less frequent meetings will allow for increased focus and more agile strategic discussion'. The 2024 schedule of meetings for Council, committees and boards 2024 has been agreed with half taking place in person and the other half online. This will reduce the burden on member time, removing a barrier to members who might like to nominate themselves for a role but don't believe they can commit sufficient time.

Support members in role.

Progress

A new induction and skills audit process is in place for Council, and we will be rolling this out across other committees next year. The skills audit defines the support, learning and development needs of Council and committee members whether on an individual or group basis. Council members attended a workshop on financial governance as part of their ongoing learning and development. The Executive Team is also looking at how this can be rolled out more widely. Further work to address this recommendation includes an annual appraisal process for Chairs and Vice Chairs, workshops for prospective role holders and a sustainable mentoring and buddy scheme for new role holders. These will be completed by the end of 2024.

Define member involvement.

Progress

In the year since Bruce Carr KC published his report, we have seen the highest level of member engagement and participation in our history. RCN members voted in unprecedented numbers for industrial action, and tens of thousands took to picket lines across Northern Ireland, Wales and England - not just in the NHS, but across independent health settings too. Work is already underway to harness this member involvement, and the RCN Activist Academy is due to launch in early 2024.

Create a corporate governance repository.

Progress

An initial review and update of the governance documents page on the RCN website has been completed. In the longer term, a root-and-branch rebuild of all governance content on the website is being undertaken to address the recommendation on p12 of the KPMG report: "This would assist with generating clarity around the governance structure and decision-making routes. This should be used as the single source of information and should be available to all staff and members." Desktop reviews, stakeholder interviews and planning have already taken place, and a new Governance Hub – including a repository of governance documents – will be ready by September 2024.

Review the Governance team.

Progress

The Governance team structure has been reviewed, and new posts were put in place to strengthen the team and enhance capacity. Our new Director of Governance joins the RCN in November, and phase two of the team staffing review will be completed by the end of the year. Other aspects of this recommendation - including the development of new standard operating procedures and training - are also on track to be completed this year.

Provide clarity on our group structure.

Progress

The RCN Group structure comprises the RCN, RCN Foundation, RCNi and RCN Law. Work is ongoing to ensure all parts of the RCN Group work well together to avoid competition and maximise collaboration in the interests of RCN members and the nursing profession.

Update policies and documents.

Progress

A new policy register is in place and updated when new policies are agreed. New Whistleblowing and Conflicts of Interest policies have been agreed and published. Our Managing Unacceptable Behaviour guidelines and Member Resolution policy are at the final draft stage and awaiting sign-off. We will update our Standing Orders to use succinct, plain English by May 2024, and we are committed to using plain English whenever possible across all of our content.

Introduce measures to limit the movement of members standing for Council midterm to minimise disruption.

Progress

Members moving between committees and Council when vacancies arise midterm can cause disruption. Advice is being sought, and this work is on track to be delivered by the end of 2023.

Review the role of Chief Executive and General Secretary and Executive Team support.

Progress

A review of Executive Team portfolios has taken place, with some responsibilities being redistributed. Our current General Secretary and Chief Executive has accepted an offer to extend her role until December 2024 to embed the ambitions of the 5-year strategic plan, including the RCN Institute.

Strengthen the Election Policy.

Progress

In January 2023, we approved our new Election Policy, which addresses the concerns raised by Simon Cheetham KC in his 2021 report.

Reconsider the requirement to call an extraordinary general meeting.

Progress

Following a vote on a special resolution at the 2023 annual general meeting, the threshold required to call an extraordinary general meeting was changed from 1,000 members to 5% of the total RCN membership. As part of this resolution, the Council will also provide members with a new platform where extraordinary general meeting requests can be hosted and voted on securely. Council also committed to providing a mechanism for members to propose agenda items for Council meetings. A process has been developed and agreed upon by the Council. This work has now been completed.

Measures to manage the invocation of the 'in extremis' revocation of delegation of power outlined in the Royal Charter.

Progress

In its report, KPMG stated: "The RCN should review the charter to ensure the governance process on awarding and revoking delegations are clear and do not expose the RCN to potential de-stabilisation." This is a complex subject, and work remains ongoing in relation to implementing such measures.

Improve ways of working between Council and Regional Boards.

Progress

Quarterly meetings between all England regional boards have already been established. The remit, terms of reference and efficacy of these meetings will be reviewed next year. A mechanism for formal reporting from our country and regional boards into the Council will be developed next year.

Review task and finish groups.

Progress

KPMG found "task and finish groups received the most negative feedback during the evidence gathering from both members and staff. Their purpose was seen as confusing; there were too many, making it difficult to track, co-ordinate and support." The last task and finish group was closed in July, and a standard operating procedure for Council has been drafted and is on track to be signed off by January 2024. This will set out a new mechanism for Council to manage ring-fenced projects and work for completion.

Improve the role, function and governance of the forums and networks.

Progress

A review of RCN Forums and Networks was published in 2021 and included 31 recommendations. The subsequent KPMG report recommended that we should provide greater clarity, including on the role, focus, finances and strategic alignment of forums and networks. This work is being led by our new Chief Nurse, and a delivery roadmap has been created, setting out how the forums and networks review recommendations will be delivered over the short, medium and long term. This work is on track to be delivered by April 2024.

Implement the findings from external reviews.

Progress

KPMG criticised the RCN for having no structures in place to implement the recommendations of previous reports. They said we should:

• Identify a clear implementation plan outlining activity (week by week and month by month) and key delivery milestones.
• Identify clear owners for each action identified within reports at a suitable level within the organisation (ideally an Executive owner and a lead committee member nominee).
• Identify due dates for each action by which point the action must be fully implemented.
• Ensure Council via one of its assurance committees (to be agreed by Council and delegations clearly documented) and the Executive hold individuals and governance groups accountable for action implementation through regular reporting.
• Agree on metrics to assess progress against individual actions.
• Have clear reporting lines through the governance structure.

In approaching all work relating to the culture and governance of the college, we have followed each of these suggestions, and a robust, detailed project plan with dedicated programme staff is in place. All 38 recommendations and their associated deliverables will be complete during the lifetime of our 2023-27 strategic plan.

Review and revise governance structures.

Progress

KPMG recommended that: "The Council and Executive together should fundamentally reconsider the groups underpinning the governance structure – starting with the Council, Executive and Standing Committees. This is to ensure that these allow for the effective delivery of the strategy, sufficient challenge, assurance and oversight at the right level as well as timely and efficient operations." The RCN governance structure is always subject to scrutiny and revaluation, and this work will continue.

Address key underlying issues which are the cause of continuing division.

Progress

A resolution to reaffirm the strength of the dual role of the RCN as both a trade union and professional body was passed overwhelmingly by members at RCN Congress 2023 in Brighton.

Develop online technology to increase member engagement.

Progress

There are certain activities that a Trade Union cannot do online, such as voting in an industrial action ballot. But we continue to assess, review and trial new digital tools for member engagement. During recent Fair Pay for Nursing activity, we successfully used ThruText (a peer-to-peer text platform) and WhatsApp. We will undertake a comprehensive review of all digital communication platforms – including web, app, social, email and text – during 2024.

Review the selection of the Agenda Committee.

Progress

In his report, Bruce Carr KC said: "At present, it [Agenda Committee] is elected by representative bodies at Congress but the present system produces a committee, which is made up almost exclusively of individuals who come from a trade union background. This serves only to increase the concerns on the professional side of the College that they are very much the minor partners." The methods of selection to the Agenda Committee will be considered as part of a long-term, strategic review of RCN Congress.

Promote and support increased governance representation and participation of women, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and disabled members, and relaunch a leadership and governance training and development package.

Progress

In August, RCN Council announced that the RCN Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee would be re-established. Terms of reference have been agreed, and the committee will be in place by January 2024. The committee will oversee the development and launch of a new equity, diversity and inclusion strategy.

Put in place an effective feedback loop and communication of what goes on at council, committees and other forums to the wider members.

Progress

A root-and-branch rebuild of all governance content on the website is being undertaken with a view to creating a new, class-leading Governance Hub. This will include better reporting mechanisms to enable members to be kept up to date with activity. The new Governance Hub is due to be completed by September 2024. As part of commitments made at the 2023 AGM, Council will also provide a process for members to propose agenda items for Council meetings. This has been developed and will be scrutinised by Council. Once agreed, this will be communicated to members.