The Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom 1916-1976: role and action in a changing health service.

This paper is based on the nursing lecture delivered on the occasion of the Royal College of Nursing's Diamond Jubilee Year Annual General Meeting, 24 November 1976. The history of the first sixty years of the college is recorded and discussed and its national and international contributions to the nursing profession and the art and science of nursing are documented. The College's pioneering role in nursing research and post-basic nursing education are also considered as are its influences on the development of the National Health Service and its significant role in representing nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]