The RCN London Board

Representing 60,214 members across the capital

The RCN London Board is elected to represent all of RCN London's 60,214 members. Nurses on the board are drawn from a wide cross-section of the membership and include London-wide regional representatives, divisional representatives for each sector of London (North East London, South East London, and so on), our two Council members and committee representatives (such as stewards, health and safety representatives and students).

Key headlines from the latest RCN London Board meeting on Wednesday 13 February 2019:

New and existing members of London Board spent an enjoyable afternoon getting to know each other on Tuesday 12 February and collectively looked forward to the year ahead.
London’s KPIs were reviewed and a positive (above target) rise in membership noted (based on November 2018's figures) although it was noted there has been a small drop since those figures were made available.
It was also noted that challenges remain around the low number of stewards taking cases. Council Member for London, Cynthia Davis, will take back to Council the need for steward activity to be measured by more than case work.
There had been two recent additions to London’s Risk Register; one around an increase in verbal aggression to regional staff. which board members noted was occurring toward reps also. Board members were reminded of our Dignity Charter and to adopt a zero tolerance approach to aggression at all times. A further risk was added around staffing in London as there is currently a lot of staff movement – but plans are in place and new staff being recruited.
London Board received updates from each of the national committees.
There was a wide-ranging discussion around how to support active members at Staff Side/JNC meetings – a comprehensive booklet is available and was shared with all Board members.
London Board received an update on other local campaigns around Housing and transport.
Cynthia Davis, gave an update of the first Council meeting this year – noting a key focus of Council will be firmly on Staffing for Safe and Effective Care.
The campaign for Staffing for Safe and Effective Care is developing – the Governance arrangements for the campaign were shared. London Board member Noeleen Behan volunteered to be London Representative on the Oversight Group for England.
The withdrawal of the NMC guidance on Administration of Medicines was noted.The RCN has issued joint guidance with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
There was an update on Congress: a number of process challenges were noted and will be taken back to the relevant departments.

Forthcoming meetings

All members can request to attend the board's meetings which take place on the dates listed below.

Wednesday 8 May 2019 - RCN London Headquarters, 20 Cavendish Square, W1G 0RN.

If you would like to attend, or if you would like the agenda or minutes for any RCN London Board meeting, please contact Samuel Mason on 020 7841 3333 or email samuel.mason@rcn.org.uk

Agenda Feb 2019

Download the Board Meeting Minutes February 2019

Membership

Noeleen Behan (Outer North Central London)

Noeleen is a registered nurse with over 27 years’ of nursing experience, having commenced nurse training in 1987 at Barnet College of Nursing she completed a BSc in Nursing Studies in 2003 and recently completed an MSc Management course, both at the University of Hertfordshire. Noeleen is currently the Chair of the RCN Outer North Central London Branch and was recently re-elected to a third term in that positon, having previously been branch secretary. Noeleen was the Chair of staff side at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust for over ten years. Noeleen has ten years’ experience as an RCN Steward and is an experienced negotiator as well as an experienced ACAS trained mediator.

Diane Cameron (Outer South East London)

Diane is a registered nurse with over 35 years’ experience having commenced training in 1979 as Farnborough School of Nursing (later becoming the Nightingale School of Nursing –Kings College, London). Moving from Community Nursing into Education with Education related BA (1st Hons) and an MA, Diane is currently the chair of Outer South East London Branch, and was previously the Branch secretary. As a learning rep and education lead, Diane is an advocate for nurse’s development and the cultural transition needs of overseas nurses.

Cynthia Davis (Council Member and Board Chair)

Cynthia has worked within the NHS for over 30 years, half of which time has been spent in management roles, including as Director of Nursing for 1 year in an interim role and Deputy Director of Nursing for 4 years. Cynthia’s current role is that of Senior Lecturer in Mentorship & Practice Education at Kingston University & St George’s University of London, where in addition to working with post–registration nurses she has the opportunity to work with pre-registration nursing students. Cynthia has an ethos of working with integrity, openness and fairness, applying a non-judgemental approach. In joining the Board Cynthia hopes to play a part in shaping and championing our profession, both as an educator and a Board member.

The RCN London Board

Joyce Inoniyegha (Outer North West London)

Joyce is a Registered Nurse with a specialty in paediatric and neonatal intensive care nursing. She has been a community children's manager and has been an RCN member for 28 years, serving 12 of those as an RCN Steward. Joyce is currently Chair of Staff Side at London North West Healthcare Trust. An active member of the policy development group, Joyce continues to promote the work of RCN and encourage recruitment at branch level. As a board member, she is keen to ensure the issues of front line staffing are addressed, particularly bullying and harassment in the work place.

Dr Joan Myers OBE (Outer North East London)

Joan is Strategic Nurse Consultant for the children and Young people’s service at North East London Foundation Trust and also works part time at London South Bank University as a Senior Lecturer for Community Children's Nursing. Joan is passionate about care in the community, especially for children. She is an advocate for equality and inclusion in the NHS and enjoys motivating all nurses to be and do their best. Joan considers it a privilege to be a voice for nurses and nursing on the RCN Board.

Samuel Newman (Inner South East London)

Samuel has a background in Intensive Care nursing at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, where he is an elected Staff Governor. He currently works for NHS Blood and Transplant as a Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation, in the London regional team. Samuel trained at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London and qualified in 2011. He is currently working towards an MSc. He aims to engage with London members and ensure that their views, thoughts and ideas are heard by the London Board and RCN Council.

Dr Maria Ponto (Vice Chair and Inner South West West London)

Maria is an Associate Professor at the School of Nursing at Kingston University and St. George’s University of London, where she is a course director for the MSc in Clinical Leadership. She also has links with 6 clinical areas at the local teaching hospital. Prior to becoming an educator, Maria had many years of acute nursing experience. She became RCN steward in 1990, representing nurse teachers at the point of transfer to Higher Education. Maria is passionate about the future of the NHS and healthcare education. She believes that education must be relevant to practice and that workforce development should be given more prominence to equip nurses for the complexities of the modern NHS.

Email: m.ponto@sgul.kingston.ac.uk

The RCN London Board

Mary Wells, Professional Nursing Committee

Mary Wells trained at Guys Hospital and South Bank Polytechnic (now University), completing a BSc (Hons) and RGN in 1998. After specialising in cancer nursing and working as a ward sister at Barts’ Hospital, she worked in a variety of clinical, managerial, educational and research roles in London, Oxford and Dundee, before developing an academic career as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee. She was appointed as a Professor of Cancer Nursing Research and Practice at the Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, University of Stirling, in 2013. Mary is passionate about developing opportunities for nurses at all levels to engage meaningfully in both clinical practice and research. She has published widely and has led research on patient experiences, consequences of cancer and its treatment, complex interventions and nurse-led initiatives. Mary is currently working at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as Lead Nurse for Research, with responsibility for the provision of professional support and leadership for clinical academic careers in nursing and midwifery, and for research nurses and research practitioners across the Trust.

Karen Sanders (RCN Trade Union Committee)

Karen is a registered nurse with over 35 years’ nursing experience, having commenced her nurse training in 1980 at Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham (now the City Hospital). Prior to becoming a Senior Lecturer at London South Bank University in the Adult Nursing and Midwifery Studies Department, Karen specialised in Adult Intensive Care and Neurosciences nursing and held Management, Practice Development and Education roles. In her present role Karen works with post–registration nurses and pre-registration nursing students. In 2000 she gained an MA in teaching at the Institute of Education, University of London. Karen has been an RCN Learning Representative for over 10 years and is currently the Chair of the UK Learning Representatives Committee and the Treasurer of the Inner South East London Branch. Karen has major concerns about the future of the NHS and of nurse education and is keen to work with the RCN, its members and relevant other parties to address the challenges, problems and conflicts presently being faced in order to ameliorate the situation.

Susan Howkins (Outer North West London)

Michael Smith (Outer South West London)

Mike is an Emergency Nurse Practitioner/Chair of Staff Side with over 35 years nursing experience currently working for Epsom & St Helier University Hospital NHS Trust. He has a clinical background in Oncology, Burns and Plastics, A&E as well as a teaching qualification. Mike was one of the first nurse prescribers in London. Mike became active as an RCN steward in 1995 and more latterly is engaged as a health and safety rep. Since then Mike has represented hundreds of nurses and unregistered members, held senior Staff Side positions, led the Outer South West London Branch, sat on both the South East and London RCN Boards and is currently the London representative for the National Stewards Committee. Mike has a passion for supporting members seeking RCN professional help. He also contributes on a regular basis to RCN publications and digital media as well as actively lobbying politicians on behalf of nurses and nursing.

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