Denise Kelly

Chair and Member for Northern Ireland, January 2026 - December 2029

Denise has more than 33 years of experience in health and social care.

Denise began her career as an auxiliary nurse in 1992 and commenced her registered nurse training in 1995 at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Throughout her career she has held a wide range of clinical roles, including junior and senior staff nurse, ward manager and night sister. Her clinical experience spans several specialties, including intensive care, coronary care and patient flow. She currently works full-time as a Senior Clinical Nurse Coordinator on the Hospital At Night team.

Alongside her clinical career, Denise has undertaken extensive postgraduate study, including qualifications in Health Service Management, Cardiology Nursing, and Facilitation and Practice Development. She completed a postgraduate qualification in Strategic Workforce Planning in 2020, followed by postgraduate taught study in non-medical prescribing in 2022. She is currently undertaking an MSc in Advanced Professional Practice, with an expected graduation date of May 2027.

Denise is a committed member and nursing activist of the Royal College of Nursing. She serves as an accredited steward, health and safety representative and nursing activist, and is also Vice- Chair of the RCN Northern Ireland Board.

Her leadership priorities focus strongly on fair pay for nursing staff and safe staffing levels, particularly following the historic industrial action undertaken by RCN members in Northern Ireland.

Denise is passionate about both the trade union work of the RCN and its professional nursing role. In recognition of her exceptional service and commitment to members, she received the RCN Award of Merit in 2020.

Get in touch: TUC.NorthernIreland@rcn.org.uk

Tobias Kunkel

Vice Chair and Member for Scotland, January 2024 - December 2027

Tobias has more than 20 years nursing experience working in several large UK and EU hospital trusts, and is currently employed by NHS Lothian in Edinburgh as a Senior Nurse Practitioner in the Minor Injuries Unit. He is a passionate campaigner for safeguarding and improving the health, safety and wellbeing of staff and patients. A member of the RCN since 2001, Tobias is currently Treasurer of the Lothian and Borders branch committee. He is dual accredited as an RCN Steward and Safety Rep, and is a member of the Pan-Lothian Health and Safety Committee and the Joint Staffside Committee. Tobias believes in the importance of building strong relationships, and is driven by a deep sense of fairness, and will bring this approach to his time on the committee.

Get in touch: TUC.Scotland@rcn.org.uk 

Helen Oatham

Member for Eastern, January 2026 - December 2029

Helen is a registered mental health nurse with over 25 years’ experience in primary and secondary care and secure services. She is currently governance lead for an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service – a partnership between the NHS and other organisations.

Helen has been an RCN steward since 2007. As well as providing individual member support, she sits on her trust’s Staff Side committee. Within the RCN, Helen has held various positions on the Branch Executive and is currently chair of the RCN’s Norfolk Branch. Prior to being appointed to the Trade Union Committee, she served for six years on the Eastern Region Board, ultimately as Vice-Chair.

Helen is an active speaker at the RCN Congress. She is also heavily involved in campaign activities, notably speaking to MPs in Parliament about staffing and pay.

Get in touch: TUC.Eastern@rcn.org.uk

Sharon Osborne

Member for East Midlands, January 2026 - December 2029

Biography to follow.

Get in touch: TUC.EastMidlands@rcn.org.uk

Noeleen Behan

Member for London, January 2026 - December 2029

Biography to follow.

Get in touch: TUC.London@rcn.org.uk

Vacant

Member for Northern

This seat is currently vacant.

Maggy Heaton

Member for North West, January 2026 - December 2029

Biography to follow.

Get in touch: TUC.NorthWest@rcn.org.uk

Nicole Forbes

Member for South East, March 2025 - December 2027

Biography to follow.

Get in touch: TUC.SouthEast@rcn.org.uk

Emmanuel Asimah

Member for South West, January 2026 - December 2027

Emmanuel’s nursing experience in the UK began in December 2021 as a staff nurse. His commitment to professional development, supporting colleagues and union activism has been a significant part of his work from this time. 
 
Emmanuel is an accredited RCN Steward. In this role he supports colleagues with workplace issues, finding satisfaction in positive outcomes and crediting his effective communication skills and good sense of humour as essential for the role. He has also volunteered his time as a Rep Changemaker. In these roles, he has collaborated with his branch to support member and Rep recruitment in the South West region.  
 
Emmanuel is also committed to improving equity, diversity and inclusion in nursing, and was the recipient of a Black History Month Award for the South West region for his contributions to advancing diversity and inclusion for Global Majority nursing colleagues.

Get in touch: TUC.SouthWest@rcn.org.uk

Jackie Davies

Member for Wales, January 2024 - December 2027

As a registered nurse, Jackie has a clinical professional background in mental health nursing and forensic psychiatry. An experienced Trade Unionist, Jackie has an interest in healthcare law, clinical negligence and employment law. Jackie graduated in law with an LLB (Hons) in 2006. In 2014 Jackie also obtained a Masters Degree in Healthcare Law and Ethics from Swansea University. Jackie is a board member with the Royal College of Nursing Wales Board, she has been a branch official within the RCN Glamorgan branch for several years holding various positions such as Chair, Treasurer, secretary and more recently Communications officer.

Jackie is currently an independent member of the Board of Swansea Bay University Health Board, a public appointment she has held since 2017. She is Chair of the Swansea Bay Armed Forces Forum and Chair of the Swansea Bay Organ Donation Committee.

Get in touch: TUC.Wales@rcn.org.uk

Mark Butler

Member for West Midlands, January 2024 - December 2027

Mark became an RCN Activist as a student, when he was a Student Information Officer. Shortly after becoming a Registered Nurse, Mark completed his accreditation as an RCN Steward and has continued to represent RCN members for 25 years. He has represented the RCN West Midlands by Chairing the regional Staffing for Safe and Effective Care Campaign, as well as serving as RCN West Midlands Board Chair for three years from 2019 to 2021.

At the end of his time as Board Chair, Mark had decided to step away from his RCN roles to retire, however the monumental industrial action ballot by members kept him busy. Mark felt lucky to welcome new members of the RCN to his NHS Trust and a number of new activists too, so chose to continue in his role as a Steward. He was humbled to be awarded the RCN Award of Merit in 2023 for his service with the RCN in the West Midlands. Mark was appointed to the Trade Union Committee in 2023, and hopes to continue to support the RCN West Midlands Region and the amazing nurses and the nursing family represented there.

Get in touch: TUC.WestMidlands@rcn.org.uk

Rhian Wheater

Member for Yorkshire and the Humber, January 2024 - December 2027

Biography to follow.

Get in touch: TUC.YorksandHumber@rcn.org.uk

Richard Nelson

Nursing Support Worker member, January 2026 - December 2029

Richard currently works in forensic mental health in a secure hospital setting, as part of a multidisciplinary team providing care for individuals with complex needs. This role has strengthened his commitment to advocating for vulnerable people and ensuring that mental health services are properly understood, valued, and supported.

Richard serves as a local councillor in South Lanarkshire, using his experience working in frontline mental health care to inform his approach to improving health, social care, housing and community safety when addressing local issues. He also volunteers as Secretary for Who Dares Cares, a charity supporting veterans affected by trauma, PTSD and operational stress injuries. Richard performs as a comedy hypnotist at fundraising events, enjoying using humour and creativity to bring people together.

Alongside his professional, political and voluntary roles, Richard is a husband and father. In all roles, he is driven by a commitment to making a positive difference for his communities.

Get in touch: TUC.NursingSupportWorker@rcn.org.uk

Mordecai Akoh

Student member, January 2026 - December 2027

Mordecai Akoh is a final-year Adult Nursing student at Glasgow Caledonian University. As a student, he has taken on several leadership and advocacy roles, including as a Class Representative and as the Department Representative for the Department of Nursing and Community Health for the 2025/26 academic year. In these roles, he has acted as a representative voice for fellow students, supporting peers with academic and placement-related challenges by building relationships with senior university leadership, including the Principal, Deans and Head of Department to ensure student voices directly inform decision-making.  
 
As an RCN member, Mordecai serves as an RCN Student Ambassador, supporting fellow student nurses as they navigate their studies, placements and professional development, while promoting engagement with the RCN’s national student community. 
 
Alongside his studies, Mordecai works as a Healthcare Support Worker in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities with NHS Lothian, giving him frontline insight into the realities facing nursing students in practice. His combined academic, professional and leadership experience equips him to advocate effectively for student funding, wellbeing, inclusion and fair access, ensuring every student voice is heard and valued.

Get in touch: TUC.Student@rcn.org.uk