The Royal College of Nursing’s governing body has confirmed it will consider re-joining an international nursing federation amid concerns the UK is being left out of global debate on the

future of the profession. At a meeting yesterday members of RCN Council sanctioned a formal assessment of the pros and cons of re-joining the International Council of Nurses, a global

federation of more than 130 national nursing association. > “Council this week agreed a way forward and the work that will > inform any future decision” >  > RCN spokesman  The

controversial decision to leave the ICN was made by RCN members at the union’s congress in 2013 because of concerns about high membership fees. However, there has since been a campaign to

with some nurses who supported the decision to leave the ICN revealing they would be willing to reconsider. Earlier this month campaigners sent an open letter to RCN leaders saying the

congress debate gave the college a “clear mandate” to start talking to the ICN about potential terms for re-joining. A report by the RCN’s international committee, which has been reviewing

the decision to leave the ICN, set out key considerations for the college in deciding whether or not to return. This included looking at whether the initial reasons for leaving the

organisation still stood and gathering evidence from other nursing organisations on the benefits of membership and any concerns. There was a need for “clarity on the perceived and actual

benefits of re-joining the ICN and whether the ICN’s governance and priorities align with the RCN”, said the report. It was also important to determine exactly what the RCN’s role and

contribution would be within ICN, the report stated. The committee went on to set out its newly devised criteria for assessing the benefits and impact of working with any international

alliance and network. It recommended RCN staff be given the go-ahead to gather information and apply the criteria to membership of ICN.  This would include a risk assessment exercise

including looking at fees and financial sustainability and any potential risks to the RCN’s reputation and members’ interests. It would also involve a cost-benefit analysis that would mean

scoring various factors such as the financial impact of joining, including annual membership fees, travel costs and staff time. > “I cannot overstate the importance of nursing connecting 

with the > global community” >  > Charlotte McArdle  Other factors to be considered and rated would include benefits such as networking and access to information, effectiveness of

the ICN and evidence of its impact on “positive outcomes for the nursing profession”, and whether membership was “strategically beneficial” to the RCN. Following the meeting, a spokesman for

the RCN said: “Council this week agreed a way forward and the work that will inform any future decision.” Leading nurses, including three of the UK’s chief nursing officers, have publicly

expressed their support for the RCN to re-join. Ahead of yesterday’s debate Wales’s CNO Jean White said she wanted to see the UK back in the ICN. “There are so many challenges in the world

and we should be there sharing and learning as part of the global nursing and midwifery community,” she posted on Twitter.  England’s CNO Ruth May responded on Twitter by saying she felt the

same way. CNO for Northern Ireland Charlotte McArdle also hoped RCN Council would see the benefits of returning. “I cannot overstate the importance of nursing connecting with the global

community,” she tweeted. Meanwhile Crystal Oldman, chief executive of the Queen’s Nursing Institute, said she felt it was “really important” that the UK was a member of the ICN. Howard

Catton, chief executive of the ICN, has previously told _Nursing Times_ he would personally “love” for the college to return to the ICN but it must be a decision for members. * Exclusive:

‘It is a unique time for the profession,’ says ICN chief He said the world was now a different place to the one it was when the RCN voted to leave.