Man to head up RCN

The non-TUC Royal College of Nursing has appointed a male leader, for only the second time in its 90-year history, to take over from Beverly Malone who is returning to the United States.

Peter Carter, who is chief executive of Central and North West London Mental Health Trust, will take over in December.

The RCN recently joined an "unprecedented alliance" of health unions - both TUC and non-TUC affiliated - called NHS Together, which is warning of the threat to the NHS from budget cuts, lack of involvement of staff in changes and fragmentation of the NHS (see the feature "Calls grow to end NHS reforms" elsewhere in this issue).