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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27 Apr 2026
BRIEFING: RCN insight and analysis of high caseloads in community mental health settings
RCN briefing analysing high caseloads in community mental health settings.
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25 Mar 2026
CONSULTATION RESPONSE: Settlement, Citizenship and Integration
RCN response to the Justice and Home Affairs Committee's call for evidence on settlement, citizenship and integration.
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12 Mar 2026
BRIEFING: Mass lobby of Parliament on "earned settlement" proposals, 11th March 2026
RCN briefing for the mass lobby of Parliament on the UK Government's "earned settlement" proposals, 11th March 2026.
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5 Mar 2026
CONSULTATION RESPONSE: Fair Pay Agreement Process in Adult Social Care
RCN response to the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) consultation on the fair pay agreement process in adult social care.
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27 Feb 2026
POLICY: National guidance for NHS staff on speaking up in NHS Scotland
RCN response to survey on national guidance for NHS staff on speaking up in NHS Scotland
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26 Feb 2026
The Gloves are Off - Briefing on staffing for safe and effective care
The evidence couldn鈥檛 be clearer. When there are enough nursing staff, with the right skills, in any care setting 鈥� patients are safer. Scotland needs the right numbers of nursing staff, with the right skills, in the right place. This election we鈥檙e calling for nursing to be recognised as an asset, rather than viewed as a cost.
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26 Feb 2026
The Gloves are Off - Briefing on investing in community nursing
Against a backdrop of increasing patient need, there is widespread agreement about the urgent need to shift the balance of care into the community to better serve individuals and achieve more sustainable services. But this has been talked about for years. It is vital that progress is delivered in the next parliamentary session. Scottish government must recognise that community nursing is central to achieving this ambitious agenda.
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26 Feb 2026
The Gloves are Off - Briefing on palliative and end of life care
Nursing staff across the NHS, independent and third sector services play a crucial role in the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care services, in a variety of settings including hospitals, individuals鈥� homes, care homes and hospices. However, too many people are dying without the support they need and there is an urgent need to improve access to palliative care across Scotland and to secure the vital contribution of Scotland鈥檚 hospices.
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26 Feb 2026
The Gloves are Off - Briefing on care homes
Successive Scottish governments have aspired to a policy of shifting the balance of care from hospital services into community settings, which include social care. We firmly support this ambition, recognising it as essential to meeting population needs and ensuring long-term sustainability. But this shift cannot be realised without strengthening the nursing workforce in social care.
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26 Feb 2026
The Gloves are Off - Briefing on valuing the nursing profession
The new Scottish government must implement key measures that will help value the profession better to promote retention of today鈥檚 workforce and to attract the workforce of the future. We believe nurses deserve better, a belief supported by the evidence.
