Rita Devlin is the Director of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland. With a clinical background as a ward sister in emergency and general medicine, she has held senior corporate nursing roles focused on person-centred care, patient safety, leadership, and service improvement.
Since joining the RCN in 2009, Rita has supported multidisciplinary teams to modernise services, implement evidence-based practice, and evaluate change. She is also the writer and producer of Regulating Rita—a powerful educational play used to support nurses in understanding Nursing and Midwifery Council hearings.
Promoted to Associate Director of Nursing Policy and Practice, Rita later served as Acting Deputy Director and played a key role in supporting RCN members during industrial action in 2019 and 2020, while also acting as Trade Union Side Secretary. She brings a deep commitment to leadership, system improvement, and patient experience, underpinned by her expertise in human factors and workforce development.