RCN East Midlands

RCN East Midlands The East Midlands region of the Royal College of Nursing. Supporting Royal College of Nursing members in the East Midlands.

We work in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire, supporting and representing more than 30,000 members in the region.

Another one of our East Midlands speakers from yesterday! Clinical education leader and North Lincolnshire member Lovely...
22/05/2026

Another one of our East Midlands speakers from yesterday!

Clinical education leader and North Lincolnshire member Lovelyn Ndubuisi-Okoroezi, commenting on call for RCN Council to lobby for the inclusion of Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) time in all nursing job-plans, said: "I challenge nurses, whenever you are requested to undertake additional responsibilities, that you are allocated time to do that and that it is actually documented on your health rosters

"What we need are establishment reviews that actually reflect the expansive role that nurses do. That way, vacancies at Band 5 can be freed up because staff who are undertaking this many additional responsibilities can go into those roles actually full time, rather than doing them in their own time. Vacancies that can then be freed up for our students to go into."

Congress may be over, but we're still catching up on all the fantastic East Midlands members who got up to share their v...
22/05/2026

Congress may be over, but we're still catching up on all the fantastic East Midlands members who got up to share their views from the podium.

Speaking on Thursday's debate about access to medicinal cannabis and the impact of the NHS's current prescribing practices, Laura Daukintis (RCN Nottinghamshire branch member and chair of the RCN's Mental Health forum) said: "Medicinal cannabis may not be right for everybody, but access to emerging treatments should not depend on who can afford to pay privately."

Speaking in the final debate of Congress, which called on RCN Council to take urgent action to address the decline in nu...
21/05/2026

Speaking in the final debate of Congress, which called on RCN Council to take urgent action to address the decline in numbers of health visitors and the impact on the babies, children and young families that they serve, Mary Abiona (voting member from RCN Northamptonshire branch) said: "For many families, a health visitor is not just a professional, they are often a lifeline. They offer reassurance, education, safeguarding and early intervention during one of the most vulnerable periods of life.

"If they are serious about giving every child the best start in life, the government must urgently invest in rebuilding the health visitor workforce."

RCN Derbyshire branch member and student nurse Ben White offered a student's perspective to the debate at RCN Congress t...
21/05/2026

RCN Derbyshire branch member and student nurse Ben White offered a student's perspective to the debate at RCN Congress today about inappropriate delegation of health care tasks.

He said students were exposed to being asked to perform skills they hadn't yet been trained to do, risking patients' safety, but added: "I don't want this to come across that you should be afraid to give students the opportunity. I really hope that in your workplaces you're able to give them opportunities to develop."

RCN Stewards Committee delegate and Northamptonshire branch member Claire Amy spoke during today's RCN Congress debate a...
21/05/2026

RCN Stewards Committee delegate and Northamptonshire branch member Claire Amy spoke during today's RCN Congress debate about whether the RCN should start a campaign for a maximum 35-hour working week for nursing staff.

Claire said she felt there was a risk that employers could use a shorter working week to justify pay cuts, cautioning: "We're fighting hard to get the recognition and the pay for the things we already do."

Our North Lincolnshire member Victoria Pruteanu spoke of her first-hand experience in Lincolnshire of preparing for heal...
21/05/2026

Our North Lincolnshire member Victoria Pruteanu spoke of her first-hand experience in Lincolnshire of preparing for health care emergencies during the debate at RCN Congress in Liverpool this morning calling for the nursing voice to be recognised in future pandemic planning.

Victoria also highlighted the importance of equity for social care services and staff in any pandemic response, saying they "must never play Cinderella to the NHS."

Joining this afternoon’s discussion about the NHS Palantir Federated Data Platform contract and the risk it poses to the...
20/05/2026

Joining this afternoon’s discussion about the NHS Palantir Federated Data Platform contract and the risk it poses to the confidentiality of patient and staff data, Eddie Miller (mental health nurse and voting member for RCN Leicestershire and Rutland) joined many RCN members in expressing deep concerns with Palantir having access to patient data.

Speaking for the first time at Congress, Eddie said: “Palantir are not a health company. They build tracking software, were seed-funded by a company called the CIA and currently work with the UK Ministry of Defence and Border Force.

“These are the people who want to handle our patient’s data. And when they say they’re going to keep it private and keep it separate, I don’t believe them.”

RCN Nottinghamshire branch’s Adeola Akande, speaking for the first time at RCN Congress, contributed to this afternoon’s...
20/05/2026

RCN Nottinghamshire branch’s Adeola Akande, speaking for the first time at RCN Congress, contributed to this afternoon’s discussion about how the RCN can help create a culture where accountability, compassion, and psychological safety coexist, enabling managers to lead effectively while ensuring all staff feel respected and protected.

Adeola spoke about her experiences and called upon leaders to be champions of genuine accountability and psychologically safe spaces, not just in policy but in practice.

She said: “Leadership should not just be about targets and performance; it should be about creating environments where staff feel safe to speak up, ask for help, and safe to be human.”

Our Northamptonshire branch chair Ian Graham addressed RCN Congress 2026 in this afternoon's debate about the idea of in...
20/05/2026

Our Northamptonshire branch chair Ian Graham addressed RCN Congress 2026 in this afternoon's debate about the idea of introducing national safety standards for lone working.

Ian paid tribute to his employer, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, for taking the issue seriously. "Anything safety-related for staff is not part of any cost-cutting measures," he said.

Ian also urged Congress delegates to encourage colleagues to use lone working security devices, if they have them, when they return to their workplaces after this week's event.

Our Nottinghamshire branch treasurer Sophie McKay spoke in support of the RCN Congress 2026 resolution this morning call...
20/05/2026

Our Nottinghamshire branch treasurer Sophie McKay spoke in support of the RCN Congress 2026 resolution this morning calling for improvements in acute mental health crisis services for children and young people.

Sophie, a children's nurse, described having seen a number of harrowing incidents involving young people experiencing mental health difficulties, adding: "Nationally, there's a huge shortage of specialist adolescent mental health units, and patients in mental health crisis can wait months to secure a tier 4 bed and they'll stay on the paediatric ward in that sedation cycle or waiting for further CAMHS or mental health support."

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