- The RCN is sick and dysfunctional: it's time for its nurses to act, says
June Clark. Preparing for next week's congress of the Royal College of Nursing
(RCN), I found a paper I gave in 1976 - Functions and Dysfunctions in a
Professional Organisation: the Case of the RCN. It discussed the problems
experienced by membership organisations with multiple goals, and in particular
Robert Michels' "iron law of oligarchy" - the potential for the usurpation of
leadership and the abuse of power by permanent officials at the expense of
elected leaders. What struck me was the similarity between what I described
then and the problems the RCN has experienced recently.
Wednesday May 5, 2004 The Guardian
- At least 175 nurses accused of serious misconduct are being allowed to
continue working in British hospitals and nursing homes, according to
disturbing new figures seen by The Observer. The staff, who all face being
struck off the nursing register, are accused of a range of offences including
giving the wrong medicines to patients, not providing basic care,
incompetence, bullying, stealing from patients and verbal abuse. The situation
has arisen because the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the body that
oversees nursing standards, has been so overwhelmed by complaints that many of
those accused do not face a public disciplinary hearing for months. Some of
them have been allowed to carry on working until their hearing. Jo Revill,
health editor
Sunday June 25, 2006 The Observer
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