RCN conference moved online

[Alternista]

The Royal College of Nursing has cancelled its annual meeting of members in Liverpool following "serious allegations of sexual harassment".
The union, which has 465,000 members, said the three-day congress in September would now be held online after "independent legal advice".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58371251

AIBU to be completely confused by this? I honestly can’t fathom what’s gone on. How can an allegation of sexual assault make an entire conference so unsafe as to be cancelled? Surely the accused person would be suspended anyway pending investigation if the allegation were so serious?

What am i missing??

In plain sight.

Sounds mad to me.

Everytime I hear about this I keep thinking that if the lawyers are saying cancel it there has to be a hell of a lot more than we are getting told going on, it just feels like there are some sort of reporting restrictions

There is going to be one hell of a backstory to this. I think it's very worrying indeed.

I find this a deeply unsettling appointment to such a big role in the caring profession. However, I am wondering - is this appointment via a vote? Did all the women who are now seeing his open fetish and hostility to women vote him in knowing all this? Or, did they not bother exercising their right to vote on this? Or was his behaviour not so open until he had been voted in? I just can't imagine it being on his statement promoting himself, is all. How did he get there in the first place, I suppose I'm asking. Any nurse can enlighten us?

Thinking of leaving RCN and joining unison

Genuinely astonished and it arguably looks reputatationally catastrophic to announce they don't think they can run a safe conference that will be attended by their professionally qualified and responsible members yet they are professionally competent to perform their other institutional responsibilities.

What goes on at these conferences?! Surely its just sitting in a hall and listening to talks. Where is there opportunity for the safeguarding risk?!

@userlotsanumbers the Chair of the RCN Council is one of several positions elected by members, it's a voluntary governance role.

@Cabinfever10

Everytime I hear about this I keep thinking that if the lawyers are saying cancel it there has to be a hell of a lot more than we are getting told going on, it just feels like there are some sort of reporting restrictions

That's my assumption too, although I doubt we will ever find out.

Mildly surprised they didn't say it was online only given rising COVID rates. Perhaps they wanted to make a statement related to whatever is going on behind the scenes, should there be anything going on behind the scenes. It won't be a good look, the next time they fail to support a member adequately.

The RCN is a bit like the BMA in that it doesn't know whether it wants to be an establishment body making guidelines and policy documents or a union. You can't be both.

My DM found it a shit union in the 1990s and my opinion of it working with nurses ever since has not changed. Never seen anyone have a happy experience of the RCN as a union.

Regardless of the reasons, I think that given the current uncertainty over Covid 19 infections, cancelling conferences which can easily be held virtually is no bad thing.

@SpittinKitten

The guardian has a little bit more info, sort of...

www.theguardian.com/global/2021/aug/29/royal-college-of-nursing-congress-moves-virtual-sexual-harassment-claims
.
"Popplestone took over the RCN’s governing body after complaints were made against her predecessor David Dawes.

The RCN said it was taking the complaint “extremely seriously”, adding: “An independent external investigation will now take place and Dave Dawes has announced he will voluntarily step down from his role as chair of RCN Council.”

It was unclear whether the two investigations were linked. The RCN said it could not provide further details about the allegations at this point."

Anyone else think that the wording of the headline on both the Guardian and BBC stories as "sex harassment" instead of "sexual harassment" is a bit..... weird?

The Times reports today that these two events are not linked, and this makes sense given Dave Dawes is currently suspended and claims not to have been contacted. I could not understand how a whole conference could be unsafe?

@MegCleary

Thinking of leaving RCN and joining unison

Im a hospital manager. Ive sat in disciplinaries with both unions representing staff. RCN have been the worst at not understanding the issues in order to support their member a d have made things worse. I'd get in Unite, GMB or Unison if I were you

This is perfectly normal bio for a nursing professional

I'm fairly sure I'd get struck off the HCPC if I had that as a bio.

Left rcn, joined unison

Theres a David Dawes from Manchester on the NMC register, with no restrictions on practice. It seems very odd, though the NMC does take it's time in getting round to hearings on Fitness to Practise.