The Royal College of Nursing has announced the results of its Council elections.
The Royal College of Nursing has announced the Council election results, which was triggered by a vote of no confidence by RCN members in September.
Half of the Council seats were won by newly elected candidates, with the rest were secured by incumbents.
The Council consists of one representative each from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and one from each of England’s nine regions alongside a representative for student nurses and allied professionals.
The elected council members.
- Health Practitioner – Evan Keir [newly elected]
- Northern Ireland – Ann Marie O’Neill [newly elected]
- Scotland – Geoff Earl [newly elected]
- Wales – Richard Jones MBE [ re-elected, elected uncontested]
- East Midlands – Deirdre Sissons [newly elected]
- London – Cynthia Davis [re-elected]
- Northern – Trevor Peel [re-elected]
- North West – Dave Dawes [re-elected]
- South East – Heather Mercer [newly elected]
- South West – Geoffrey Walker [newly elected]
- Eastern – Janice Waters [Elected in October 2018]
- West Midlands – Sue Warner [re-elected]
- Yorkshire and the Humber – Carol Popplestone [re-elected]
Turnout rates varied from 4.8% and 8.3% in different contests. Individuals elected today will begin a one-year term of office on 1 January 2019.
Last month, the RCN announced the results of its President and Deputy President elections, with Anne Marie Rafferty CBE FRCN and Yvonne Coghill CBE FRCN winning respectively.
The council will elect its chair, vice chair and treasurer in the new year.
Strong candidates.
Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, Acting RCN Chief Executive and General Secretary, said: “The field of candidates was exceptionally strong and the College is fortunate to attract people with such broad experience to these top roles.
“On behalf of all the staff at the College, I wish to congratulate the successful candidates and look forward to working closely with them in 2019 on the biggest challenges facing our profession. I offer my personal gratitude to members of Council whose terms of office end this month – they are a credit to nursing and our organisation.
“The nursing profession faces some of the most significant challenges in a generation and this Council will oversee the launch of fresh campaigning efforts by the RCN to attract people into nursing, arrest the decline in workforce supply and enshrine safe staffing levels in law in every part of the UK.”