Publications
RCN publications cover a wide range of topics varying from clinical guidance to employment relations issues to advice on bullying. To reproduce RCN publications please complete the copyright request form and we’ll be in touch.
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3 Dec 2025
Bracing for winter
Publication Code : 012 368This report examines the increasing pressures on the NHS in England and its implications for corridor care as we enter the winter period. It explores how rising demand, pressures, and challenges with patient flow for emergency and elective services has contributed to the persistence of corridor care, and why winter pressures risk making the situation worse.
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3 Dec 2025
Nursing Competency and Education Framework for the Management of Headache Disorders
Publication Code : 012 279Headache is an important and growing specialty within nursing practice. Headache disorders, including migraine, represent one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide. This guidance details the critical and evolving role of headache nurse specialists in delivering comprehensive, high-quality care for individuals living with headache disorders. Mapping these roles to the RCN levels of practice provides clarity on career development and supports consistent, evidence-based service delivery across health care settings. The competencies have been designed to be downloaded and completed onscreen or on paper.
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3 Dec 2025
Nurse Specialist in Menopause
Publication Code : 012 312The menopause happens to all women, however the degree of its impact on a woman’s quality of life and the symptoms experienced are very individual. The role of a specialist in menopause was included in the 2024 NICE guidelines on managing menopause, however the detail of how this role might be implemented in practice was less clear and subsequently the British Menopause Society (BMS) produced a guide for all health care professionals. This updated publication builds on the BMS agreed standards, focusing on the options for nurses who may choose a career pathway towards becoming a specialist practitioner in menopause.
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2 Dec 2025
State of the Profession: RCN Employment Survey Report 2025
Publication Code : 012 342This report analyses the results of the 2025 RCN employment survey, giving a picture of the nursing profession across the UK as described by nursing staff.
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28 Nov 2025
Defining Staffing Levels for Children and Young People’s Services
Publication Code : 012 050These Defining Staffing Levels for Children and Young People’s Services: RCN UK standards, are the minimum essential staffing level requirements for all providers of services for babies, children and young people to provide safe and effective care.
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25 Nov 2025
Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Cervical Screening and Cervical Cancer
Publication Code : 012 276This updated edition includes guidance for registered nurses working in a range of health care settings, in particular those involved in women’s health, cervical screening and public health. It focuses on an overview of HPV (including the current vaccination recommendations), the national cervical screening programme, information about colposcopy and some key facts on cervical cancer.
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24 Nov 2025
The Economic Case for Investing in Nursing: the RCN's proposals ahead of the 2026 budget
Publication Code : 012 360This report outlines the RCN’s proposals for the economic case for investing in nursing.
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17 Nov 2025
A Competency Framework for Nurses Caring for People with Liver Disease including Liver Transplantation
Publication Code : 012 288Nurses are key to the prevention of liver disease. This updated framework describes the professional standards expected of practitioners when caring for people with liver disease including liver transplantation. The competencies have been designed to be downloaded and completed onscreen or on paper.
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13 Nov 2025
RCN Professional Framework – development summary for the definition of and level descriptors for the Nursing Support Workforce
Publication Code : 012 319This description document and accompanying literature search aims to summarise the current UK position regarding the nursing support workforce including frameworks and any education requirements.
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7 Nov 2025
10 Steps to Effective Hand Washing poster
Publication Code : 012 248This poster has been designed to illustrate the steps of effective handwashing and signposts to further information on infection prevention and control and skin health.
