The Royal British Nurses' Association was founded in December 1887 by Ethel Bedford-Fenwick. It described itself as a union/organisation of nurses for professional objects and campaigned for the establishment of a register of nurses. It wanted the training to last three years with national standards. Alice Ravenhill was the secretary of the association from 1894 to 1897. It set up a Nurses Co-operative, the Chartered Nurses Association, in 1896. In 1905 it employed 120 nurses taking 7.5% of their earnings. It was still in existence as of 2013.