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.
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26 Jul 2011
Social enterprise and mutual organisations in the delivery of NHS funded healthcare
This paper provides an overview of the current policy context around the role of social enterprise, including mutuals or employee-led organisations, in delivering NHS-funded healthcare.
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20 Jul 2011
Working in rapid political change case study
This briefing provides a review of how the RCN Policy and International Department approached one of the biggest reform proposals to the NHS in England.
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19 Jul 2011
EU Green Paper on modernising the professional qualifications directive
In January this year we sought our members' views on the EU legislation that regulates nurse education across Europe and recognition of professional qualifications to allow health professionals and others to practise in another EU country. We had over 500 responses to that questionnaire and would like to thank all of you who responded. The European Commission has now issued a Green Paper with options for revising the rules including language testing, alerts on fitness to practise, and updating the minimum education requirements for nurses. This RCN briefing is linked to a short survey seeking views on these specific options.
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20 Apr 2011
Frontline First: Congress 2011 update
The RCN believes that when trusts are planning reductions or changes to NHS services these plans must be accompanied by robust risk and impact assessments to explicitly demonstrate that quality and safety of patient care will not be detrimentally affected.
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17 Mar 2011
Price and competition in health care in England
Price competition in the NHS in England is controversial and this briefing providers an overview of some of the evidence from the English NHS and discusses price competition as part of the broader framework of funding and financing.
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23 Dec 2010
Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)
This briefing provides an over-view of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs); the rationale for their use, examples of where they are currently being used in the English NHS, and their likely future use in the health care system.
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9 Dec 2010
POLICY POSITION: Evidence-based Nurse Staffing Levels
This Policy Position accompanies the RCN report ‘Guidance on safe nurse staffing levels in the UK’, which sets out the range of different factors that influence the total demand for staff and highlights the variety of methods for planning or reviewing staffing levels.
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9 Dec 2010
GUIDANCE: Safe Nurse Staffing Levels in the UK
Staffing levels have always been an issue. “What is the optimal level and mix of nurses required to deliver quality care as cost-effectively as possible?” is a perennial question. This report sets out the range of different factors that influence the total demand for staff and highlights the variety of methods for planning or reviewing staffing levels.
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26 Jul 2010
NHS White Paper
This is the factual briefing of the key themes in the NHS White Paper.
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1 Jul 2010
An independent NHS board: What will it mean for nursing and nurses
Proposed in the Conservative Party’s 2007 White paper on health 'NHS Autonomy and Accountability', on the 20th May 2010 the Coalition Government announced its intention to “establish an independent NHS board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidelines”. Details of the independent board’s composition, scope and role are expected in the Government’s forthcoming health White Paper this summer. In the absence of specific details about the independent board at this stage, the Conservatives’ 2007 health white paper is the best indication of the board’s future design and scope. Using the Conservative’s vision for the independent board as a basis, this paper seeks to begin a discussion on what an independent board will mean for Nursing and nurses. It will consider what are the important questions and issues likely to arise from its creation, and discuss what the Government should consider when developing and implementing its decision.
