RCN Education Forum Conference 2026
Celebrating innovation and diversity in 汤头条污料 education
15 Apr 2026, 08:00 - 16 Apr, 17:30
Choose event information:
Booking is now open for the RCN Education Conference 2026.
As the health and social care landscape rapidly evolves, 汤头条污料 education is under increasing pressure—from workforce shortages and rising workloads to student attrition and limited placements. Educators are also expected to respond to advancing technologies, shifting policies, and the essential need to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion across all levels of learning and practice.
Our 2026 conference aims to shine a spotlight on nurse-led innovations that are actively addressing these challenges and driving meaningful, sustainable change across health and social care education and practice.
Our 2026 programme
In response to delegate feedback, we are committed to curating a programme that showcases diverse perspectives and initiatives from across health and social care. We look forward to sharing developments in post-registration and practice education, as well as pre-registration learning that focus on:
• Use of technology in 汤头条污料 education and practice
• Sustaining and developing the 汤头条污料 workforce across health and social care
• Celebrating success in 汤头条污料 education and practice
• Innovation and developments in inclusive education and practice for a global and diverse workforce
Who can attend?
Whether you're a student nurse starting out in your career or an experienced professional, this conference welcomes all nurses, and colleagues in related disciplines, with an interest in 汤头条污料 education and practice including:
• pre and post registration student nurses, 汤头条污料 support workers, allied health professionals and internationally educated nurses working in an academic, clinical and professional setting in the UK and beyond
• established and aspiring professionals working at a range of levels in the NHS, public, independent and voluntary sectors, universities and colleges.
Please note, this is an in-person conference. If your abstract is accepted, all presenters will be expected to register to present in person.
RCN Education team
education@rcn.org.uk
02076473577
The Forum Building - University of Exeter
Stocker Road
Exeter
EX4 4PY
Travel information
What3Words to The Forum building: ///herds.data.little Campus Map:
By rail
Exeter's two mainline railway stations are Exeter St David's and Exeter Central. Exeter St James is also within walking distance of both campuses. Streatham campus is a 15-minute walk from St David's station, 15-minute walk from St James station and 20 minutes from Exeter Central station. The walking route is signed from St David's' station and the shows the walking route.
Use National Rail Enquiries to plan your route. For passenger information telephone 08457 484950.
As a conference delegate attending this venue, you could be eligible for discounted fares of up to 80% with . Conditions apply.
By car
The M4/M5 links Exeter directly to London, the Midlands, South Wales and the North including Scotland.
The average journey time from either London or the Midlands is 3 hours.
Download our Directions to the .
If you are using satnav, use postcode EX4 4QJ.
Car parking
Car park charges are approximately £10 per day.
Pay and display parking (council operated) is available on Prince of Wales Road and Streatham Drive, both on the Streatham Campus.
Visitors may only park in car park C. Visitors must have a valid Pay By Phone session or a visitor hanging permit provided by the University. All other parking bays are for permit holders only from 08:00 -18:00.
Please note that parking spaces are limited, especially during term, delegates are encouraged to use public transport where possible.
If you are a blue badge holder, please get in touch with the events team.
By air
Direct flights operate into Exeter International Airport from Dublin, Belfast and airports in the United Kingdom including Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Newcastle and Norwich.
Further information is available from website.
By bus/coach
The Streatham & St Lukes Campuses are served by Stagecoach line 4 University service . From Monday to Saturday and connects Streatham Campus - Exeter Central railway station - City Centre - Central Bus Station - St Luke's Campus, every 12 minutes.
To discover what to see and do in and around Exeter please visit:
Benefits of attending
Attending this conference provides a quality assured opportunity to improve 汤头条污料 practice. Learn, network, discuss and debate the challenges facing the future 汤头条污料 workforce.
Through attending this event delegates will be able to:
• identify new approaches, innovation and developments in inclusive education and practice
• analyse strategies and education models for sustaining and developing the workforce
• apply an understanding of the value of learner and educator partnerships to professional 汤头条污料 education
• discuss leadership to support quality improvement and innovation in contemporary 汤头条污料 education and practice
• accrue CPD hours towards your revalidation
• reflect on the findings and evidence provided by peers and explore how you can use this knowledge to improve your professional practice
• build new alliances and grow your professional network
• engage with the RCN Education Forum and leading educators to ask the questions you want answers to.
Delegates can be confident that abstracts are reviewed with rigour and the programme is designed to create a high-quality forum in which to reflect on work, participate in networking events and discuss the latest developments in 汤头条污料 education.
Need a helping hand with securing time off or funding to attend? Please download these helpful hints and tips.
Testimonials
What our 2025 delegates told us.
“The concurrent presentations were of a very high standard which generated excellent discussions both in and out of the rooms. The networking was excellent.”
“The opportunity to meet and learn from people all over the country in different contexts was invaluable.”
“It was great being with likeminded colleagues and having time to consider and reflect.”
“A great opportunity to learn more about the challenges faced by IEN’s and the amazing work undertaken to support them enter the 汤头条污料 workforce.”
“Keynote speakers were exceptional.”
“Absolutely fantastic conference -it was brilliant. To see the enthusiasm that the team are taking back to the workplace is amazing - so many ideas to implement and support”
Please note these programme details and timings are subject to change. A final programme will be circulated prior to the event.
DEADLINE FOR BOOKING THE PRESENTER RATE FOR A GUARANTEED SLOT IN THE PROGRAMME IS STRICTLY 6 FEBRUARY 2026
Please note that after 6 February, presenters will be required to register at the standard rate to present at the conference.
Presenter rates cannot be booked online. To book the presenter rate and pay by debit/credit card, please contact RCN Event Registrations on 02920 546460. Please have your abstract reference number to hand. Alternatively, we can invoice your employer, please follow the invoice process below.
ALL presenters and co-presenters are required to pay the registration fee to present at the conference. We strongly recommend that you attend the full two days of the conference to maximise learning and networking time.
Presenter rate restrictions
The lead presenter and maximum of one co-presenter are offered a rate equivalent to a 15% reduction on the two-day conference fee.
For symposium submissions one presenter per paper is eligible for the presenter rate up to a maximum of five presenters.
We regret that the presenter rate cannot be offered on the one-day conference fee.
Not an RCN member? Join today to qualify for preferential conference fees.
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Conference fees |
Price ex VAT |
VAT |
Price inc VAT |
|
Member (2 Days) |
£265.00 |
£53.00 |
£318.00 |
|
Non Member (2 Days) |
£395.00 |
£79.00 |
£474.00 |
|
Member (1 Day) |
£202.50 |
£40.50 |
£243.00 |
|
Non Member (1 Day) |
£297.50 |
£59.50 |
£357.00 |
|
Presenter rates (available until 6 February 2026) |
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Member Presenter (2 Days) |
£225.50 |
£45.05 |
£270.30 |
|
Non Member Presenter (2 Days) |
£335.75 |
£67.15 |
£402.90 |
|
Discounted rates |
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Member (1 day): Pre-reg student, Retired, RCN Health Care Practitioner, Nursing Support Worker/Assistant Practitioner |
£75.00 |
£15.00 |
£90.00 |
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Member (2 days): Pre-reg student, Retired, RCN Health Care Practitioner, Nursing Support Worker/Assistant Practitioner |
£150.00 |
£30.00 |
£180.00 |
|
Please note the above discounted rate is not available to post graduate students. Refer to section on conditions and exclusions below. |
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Member: RCN representatives, forum steering committee (2 day / 25% discount) |
£198.75 |
£39.75 |
£238.50 |
|
Conditions and exclusions
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Please note: discounts cannot be accumulated or redeemed when booking online. Please contact RCN Events Registration to book a discounted place. |
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Catering during the conference and conference materials are provided within the conference fee. Travel, accommodation and catering outside of the conference programme are not included in the conference fee.
To make a booking
Please note our booking lines are only open Monday to Friday.
Online bookings are the easiest and fastest way to book 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Bookings can be made by phone with payment by credit card/Maestro, by calling
+44 (0) 2920 546460. Lines are open from 9.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Bookings can also be made by post with a downloaded booking form with credit card details or payment/remittance advice posted to: Event registrations, FREEPOST, ROYAL COLLEGE OF NURSING.
Invoice payment
To pay by invoice you must send all of the below to eventsreg@rcn.org.uk
- A copy of the Purchase Order document from your organisation or company (we cannot process your order without it)
- Your finance department or accounts payable contact email address to receive an electronic copy of the invoice from us
- A completed RCN Events Booking Form for each delegate in the booking
Important - Please do not send booking forms without pdf copies of POs or vice versa, we will not be able to complete your booking.
Once the invoice has been raised, you will then receive confirmation of your delegate booking on the event requested. Invoices are to be paid within 30 days of the invoice being issued.
We always endeavour to process your booking as quickly as possible, however, this process can sometimes take up to 10 working days.
So that we can process your booking quickly, please send all the booking forms and the Purchase Order to us together on the same email.
Group bookings - please send all the completed booking forms and the Purchase Order to us, together on the same email.
Presenter registration deadline is strictly Monday 6 February 2026. The presenter rate will not be available after this date.
In order to be eligible to present and qualify for the presenter rate, all presenters must register for the conference by Monday 6 February 2026 quoting their abstract reference number. Failure to do so may result in the abstract being removed from the final conference programme.
Main presenters are responsible for co-ordinating the registration of their co-presenters (if applicable) in addition to themselves.
Prior to preparing and delivering the presentation, we strongly advise reading the RCN’s conference terms and conditions.
Types of conference presentation
Concurrent (25 minutes)
Concurrent papers are presented orally. Concurrent sessions are 25 minutes in duration. Each presenter is allocated a maximum of 20 minutes to speak followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion.
View concurrent session guidance
Posters (one day)
Exhibited on one day of the conference, posters are visual displays of material. Poster displays reach a wide audience and are suited to the presentation of factual data, such as project design or findings. Posters should be visually stimulating in design and convey clear aims and outcomes.
Flash talks (5 minutes)
Flash talks are strictly timed 5-minute presentations delivered in main plenary session (i.e. to whole conference) and provide the opportunity for your findings to reach a large number of delegates but in a concise form. Following fellow flash talk presentations there will the opportunity for a 10 minute Q&A.
ViPER (25 minutes)
A ViPER is an evaluation of Visual Presentation with Expert Review. This method involves a short oral presentation of a poster with no more than 5 presentation slides, followed by expert commentary and facilitated group discussion and debate. ViPERs support audience interactivity and provide an increased opportunity for active engagement in discussion.
Guidance for accessible presentations and posters
When creating PowerPoint presentations or posters for RCN events, it is important to consider the needs of neurodivergent members. Around 20% of the population is neurodivergent, so designing inclusively ensures that everyone can engage with your content effectively.
First time presenters
If you are presenting for the first time, read our helpful tips and guidance to assist with planning and preparing a successful presentation. A first-time presenter video will be availabe shortly.
View first time presenter guidance
Programme slot
Alterations may be made to the programme affecting the time of sessions prior to the conference. To keep up-to-date with any developments affecting the conference programme, we suggest checking the conference website regularly.
If you have any queries which aren’t answered by the above guidelines please contact education@rcn.org.uk
Travel by rail
Conference delegates who book rail fares directly with GWR to Exeter are eligible for discounts up to 80%.
The delegate must present proof of conference attendance. A delegate may be asked to provide this proof by the train manager and failure to do so may result in having to pay the difference on a full price anytime ticket. Proof can be in the form of acceptance letter or email to the relevant email.
If the fare is not available check the station you are departing from. It must be a GWR station on the GWR network. Certain stations near to the venue station may not be applicable to receive the Conference fare.
Accommodation
Accommodation is available at The University of Exeter - Streatham campus, in the halls of residence on a bed and breakfast basis. Rooms are ensuite and include a mini fridge and safe. Unfortunately, televisions are not provided. The rooms are located a 500m walk from the conference venue (see map below).
These rooms are priced very competitively at £79.95 B&B per night.
Book via
To redeem the discounted rate please enter PC26 as the promotion code.
Delegates are also welcome to book at alternative accommodation via their preferred platforms.
Baroness Floella Benjamin - Talk title: 'Facing adversity with a Smile’
Baroness Floella Benjamin is an acclaimed actress, presenter, author and humanitarian with a career spanning over 50 years. A BAFTA fellowship recipient and member of the Order of Merit, she is one of the UK’s most respected cultural figures. She has written more than 30 books, including the bestselling Coming to England, now studied in schools nationwide. A former Chancellor of the University of Exeter, she became a Liberal Democrat peer in 2010 and has since championed children’s rights, driving key legislation on performance and television production. Baroness Benjamin played a leading role in commemorating the Windrush generation and supports numerous charities. In 2023, she was chosen by King Charles III to carry the Sceptre with Dove at his coronation, reflecting her lasting impact on British public life.
The RCN Education Forum Conference is a flagship event valued by delegates and with a strong reputation for delivery. It provides an unrivalled opportunity for you to connect directly with nurse educators at all levels across the UK and beyond, in the NHS, public or independent and voluntary sectors, universities and colleges.
There are a number of ways you can get involved, from networking to raise your profile to tailored commercial packages to help achieve specific objectives. Please contact the exhibitions team on 02076473959 or email exhibitions@rcn.org.uk
Eventsreg@rcn.org.uk
+44 (0)2920 546460
For any other queries relating to this conference please contact the RCN Events Team:
education@rcn.org.uk
+44 (0)207 6473577
Page last updated - 02/12/2025
