Our Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) was held at RCN headquarters in London today (29 November). It was called to provide members an opportunity to discuss the findings of an independent review into the culture of the RCN and enable them to contribute to the development of a transformational organisational plan.
Members heard directly from Bruce Carr KC, who conducted the review, as well as the RCN’s General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen, who reflected upon the challenges that came to light when she took on the role 18 months ago and which instigated the review.
“Today is a day for members to hold the College to account for what it has done, what it’s going to do, and what it’s about,” she said.
“Standards fell too short, and I want to wholeheartedly repeat my apology to members for that. There will be no greater priority for me than addressing each and every learning point discussed today, working closely with elected and non-elected members every step of the way.”
Members heard from Chair of RCN Council Carol Popplestone on what action has been taken in response to the issues highlighted in the review. She referred to the creation of a new equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for the organisation, due to be published next month, and a commitment to act on the review’s recommendations.
On this point, RCN President Dr Denise Chaffer presented a transformational plan, comprising seven themes to create a renewed sense of purpose for the organisation and drive change.
Among the themes were creating a culture of learning and trust where all concerns are addressed and ensuring fair treatment and opportunity for all so the organisation is genuinely representative of the membership.
There should also be accountability and clarity of responsibilities for governance roles, Denise said, plus a formal induction programme and ongoing mentoring and support for RCN Council members.
Attendees, both in person and attending virtually, then had an opportunity to have their questions answered before being asked to vote on a member resolution, which was a question of confidence in RCN Council’s leadership during the period from 2018 to July 2021.
The resolution called upon those current and relevant members of Council (during the period from 2018 to July 2021) to resign with immediate effect and not to put themselves forward for future elected roles within the RCN.
Following a related discussion, the resolution was passed with 93% of the members who voted supporting the resolution. See the full result.
Action resulting from the vote will be announced soon. It will not affect the RCN’s imminent strikes at NHS employers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
