The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing

What The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing does

The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 213128) founded in 1887 and incorporated by royal charter in 1889, with continuous royal patronage since Queen Victoria. It is the only UK charity dedicated specifically to community nurses, operating across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland from its London office. The organisation runs a portfolio of professional development services including two flagship leadership programmes (Ambition to Lead at £5,000/year and Leading Strategically), the Rising Stars career development programme, the Queen's Nurse title, nine specialty professional networks (district nursing, general practice nursing, community children's nursing, homeless and inclusion health, community mental health, learning disability, health and justice, adult social care, and health visiting), QICN awards, financial aid and educational grants, an international research observatory (ICNO), and an annual conference. The underlying technology is a self-serve membership platform and content publishing infrastructure — there is no proprietary technology product, AI/ML capability, or app; the offering is service- and community-driven rather than technology-led.

The business model is a hybrid charity with five revenue streams: (1) annual organisational membership subscriptions from NHS trusts and healthcare providers (pricing undisclosed, members receive webinars, Rising Stars nominations, 10% leadership programme discount, and political influencing access); (2) leadership programme tuition fees (£5,000/year for Ambition to Lead); (3) event registration and sponsorship, notably the Annual Conference; (4) individual donations via JustGiving, Easyfundraising, Give as you Live, and payroll giving, amplified 25% by Gift Aid; and (5) educational grant administration funded by charitable foundations and donations. A defining distribution partnership with the National Garden Scheme (established by QICN in 1927) raises over £3.5m annually across multiple nursing charities and specifically funds the Leading Strategically programme. QICN is governed by its own board of trustees with no parent company or external ownership.

Name

The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing

Legal name

The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing

Website

https://qicn.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) is a UK registered charity founded in 1887 that provides leadership programmes, professional networks across nine nursing specialisms, awards, educational grants, and policy advocacy to community nurses and NHS organisations across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Nursing Charity Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Community nursing charity
• Professional nursing networks
• Nursing leadership development
• Nurse membership programmes
• Nursing education grants

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-off and recurring donations from individual supporters. Gift Aid scheme increases donations by 25% for UK taxpayers. Donation tiers include £5, £15, and custom amounts for one-off donations, and £3, £5 monthly options.
2. Organisational Membership: Annual membership fees from NHS trusts, community healthcare providers, and healthcare organisations. Provides benefits including access to networks, events, webinars, Rising Stars programme, and discounts on leadership programmes.
3. Leadership Programme Fees: Ambition to Lead programme costs £5,000 per participant for the year-long course including residentials, online sessions, MBTI assessment, and mentor support. Leading Strategically programme also has associated fees. 10% discount offered to organisational members.
4. Events and Conferences: QICN Annual Conference 2026 returning as in-person event for first time since 2019. Registration fees and sponsorship revenue from the UK's leading event for community nurses.
5. Educational Grants Administration: Administers educational grants for specialist courses for community nurses, funded through donations and charitable foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) is a registered charity that supports community nurses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland through organisational membership schemes, leadership development programmes, professional networks across nursing specialisms, awards, educational grants, and an annual conference. It is the only UK charity dedicated specifically to community nurses, with royal heritage dating to 1887.

Product overview

The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) operates as a membership-based charity offering a portfolio of professional development services, networks, and support programmes for community nurses across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The organisation provides structured leadership programmes (Ambition to Lead Programme and Leading Strategically Programme), career development initiatives (Rising Stars Programme), professional networks across nine nursing specialisms, awards, financial support, educational grants, and an annual conference. Additional offerings include the International Community Nursing Observatory, Community Nursing Innovation Programme, resources, podcasts, and a shop. The organisational membership scheme serves as the primary commercial product, providing exclusive access to events, webinars, discounts, and networking opportunities for member organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organisational Membership Scheme

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of Ambition to Lead participants change to more senior roles by programme end
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Garden SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1927National Garden Scheme was established by QICN in 1927 to raise funds for district nursing. NGS celebrates 90 years (in 2017) and raises over £3.5m annually for nursing and caring charities. QICN is one of the beneficiaries. The NGS funds the Leading Strategically programme for Queen's Nurses.
• Hallam Medical PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQICN and Hallam Medical Partnership collaborating to support the nursing workforce through recruitment and workforce development initiatives.
• Dame Elizabeth Anionwu Centre for Professional DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew centre in London for professional development of nurses, launched in 2025 alongside Dame Elizabeth Anionwu Scholarships enabling two global majority community nurses to undertake Ambition to Lead course.
• Kidney Cancer UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelen McCarroll collaborated with Kidney Cancer UK to create a blog about her journey, helping educate others about kidney cancer symptoms and importance of early detection.
• Member Organisations (NHS Trusts)coreOthersNHS trusts and healthcare providers with organisational membership have access to exclusive benefits including webinars, Rising Stars programme, leadership discounts, and political influencing sessions. Member organisations can nominate Rising Stars and staff receive 10% discount on leadership programmes.
• Ex-MP and/or Previous Health MinisterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPolitical awareness programme led by ex-MP and/or previous Health Minister for member organisations, including programme webinars, practical exercises in creating evidence to influence policy, and Westminster visit.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal College of Physicians: Professional membership body for physicians with parallel functions in education, standards, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a UK royal-college professional body model rather than directly competing for community nursing members.
• Royal College of Midwives: UK professional body and trade union for midwives with analogous membership, education, and policy functions. Comparable as a parallel specialty professional body model but serving midwives rather than community nurses.
• King's Fund: Independent charitable foundation working on health policy, leadership development, and system improvement in England. Comparable in mission (healthcare leadership and policy influence) but operates at broader health system level rather than nursing-specific.
• NHS Providers: Membership organisation for NHS trusts and foundation trusts providing leadership development, networking, and policy advocacy. Comparable to QICN's organisational membership scheme on buyer side (NHS trusts) and value proposition (leadership and policy influence).
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Large UK health charity providing financial support, information, and professional development resources for specialist nurses and patients. Comparable as a specialty-focused health charity with nursing-relevant grant, fundraising, and supporter-engagement models.
• The Health Foundation: Major UK health charity funding research, policy analysis, and improvement programmes. Comparable to QICN's ICNO research and policy functions but with significantly larger scale and broader health system scope.

Direct peers

• Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS): UK charity focused on nursing practice development, innovation, and improvement programmes. Peer to QICN's Community Nursing Innovation Programme and nurse-led projects, sharing the same community nursing practice-improvement mandate.
• Florence Nightingale Foundation: UK charity providing leadership development programmes, scholarships, and mentoring for nurses and midwives. Directly comparable to QICN's Ambition to Lead and Leading Strategically programmes, targeting the same senior nurse cohort for leadership training.
• Burdett Trust for Nursing: UK grant-making charity focused on nursing leadership, workforce development, and innovation. Existing funder of QICN projects and a direct peer in funding community nursing leadership and workforce initiatives.
• Royal College of Nursing: The UK's largest professional body and trade union for nursing staff, representing nurses across all specialties. Direct peer because it competes with QICN for the same community nursing audience on professional development, policy advocacy, and member services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-queen-s-institute-of-community-nursing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing