About Us

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the largest professional association and union of nursing staff and students in the UK. No matter what your experience or background, a career with the Royal College of Nursing promises to be both challenging and rewarding.

What we do

We promote nursing interests, represent and campaign on behalf of our members and the people they care for. We're also a leading player in the development of nursing policy and practice. Join us and you’ll be representing nurses and nursing, promoting excellence in practice and shaping health policies.

A great place to work

At the RCN we are committed to providing a quality service for our members and being an effective, efficient organisation that attracts and retains high-quality staff. We are extremely proud to have received substantial external recognition for our work as an employer. As a trade union we believe it is vital that we practice what we preach and lead by example in the ways we support our employees. For us, the following awards represent our ongoing commitment and determination to be the very best employer for our outstanding staff.

Disability Confident

As a proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities. We have recently become accredited as a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer under the Department for Work and Pensions scheme. We strive to incorporate equality and diversity into everything we do, so that it is an integral part of our business and our working practices.

Investors in People

The RCN is proud to be have been accredited with Investors in People since 2009. We have recently been accredited to silver standard, one of the highest levels of accreditation within the Investors in People framework.

Our Values

As the RCN, we value our people. They are, without question, out greatest asset and we are proud of out commitment to enable them to take their careers in any direction they wish to. Dignity, customer services and the following six core behavioural competencies provide the foundation of our internal culture:

  • Stay one step ahead

  • Inspire others to greater heights

  • Build outstanding relationships

  • Get to the heart of the business

  • Show passion for our services

  • Value those around you

Our Finances

The RCN is an organisation with over 550,000 members, this combined with RCNi trading income and other income sources produces a total group income of £96 million. Information on its recent financial performance can be found in the Annual Report RCN Group Annual Report 2022 | Publications | Royal College of Nursing

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

The Full RCN Equity Diversity and Inclusion Statement is a six -page document and can be read here.

Our ambition is that:

The RCN Group aspires to be a world-class champion of equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights. We want to do this not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because we understand the benefits of being a diverse, fair and inclusive employer. We know that people work better when they can be themselves. We see a diverse workforce as a source of strength to help develop our services and products, and to best serve and represent all our members. And our corporate reputation is important in attracting and retaining employees, members and customers, and in role-modelling what we expect from other employers for our members. We see it as our responsibility to protect, influence and uphold the value of human rights within the RCN Group. We are fully committed to eliminating unlawful and unfair discrimination and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation of employees, job applicants, or others who work on the RCN Group’s behalf. Everyone who works for the RCN Group has an important part to play in achieving our ambition. All RCN Group employees and those who work on the RCN Group’s behalf (such as temporary agency workers, off-payroll workers and suppliers) are responsible for upholding the commitments described in this Statement. This Statement sets out our ambition and commitments as an employer. As a trade union and a professional body, we also produce and regularly review a strategy to champion and defend equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights, to use our strengths and capability as a force for positive challenge and change.

Our EDI Strategy 2025 can be found here. It lays out the actions that we are committed to taking over the next 5 years to encourage greater inclusion, representation of diversity, and equitable support in meeting the needs of our membership across the UK

Further Reading