Meet the Team

James Cooper

Nursing Officer

James qualified as a Registered Nurse (Adult Health) in September 2000. The following month, he started his basic training as a soldier at the Army Training Regiment Lichfield. His first assignment to Frimley Park Hospital (Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit) included his first Operational Deployment to Afghanistan on OP FINGAL. In the subsequent years, he completed numerous deployed operations on JACANA, TELIC, HERRICK, and GRITROCK.

Between deployments, he completed a BSc (Hons) as a specialist practitioner in Burns, Plastic, and Reconstructive Surgery. In 2010, he was commissioned as an Officer and served in numerous hospital Units, the Field Army, and Birmingham City University, where he completed an MSc in Education. He was then appointed as the Nurse Education Advisor (Army) at the Defence Medical Deanery for three years.

He is currently the Deputy OC Nursing at Frimley Park Hospital (Joint Hospital Group—South East) and is moving to 1 Medical Regiment as the Senior Nursing Officer in 2024. He lectures on polytrauma, burns, plastic and reconstructive surgery and ballistic injury wound care. He maintains an academic role as an external examiner and provides through life learning as a professional development facilitator.

Louise Jones

Paediatric Nurse

Louise qualified as an adult nurse in 1986 (Oxford) and as a children’s nurse in 1988 (Birmingham). Most of her career to date has evolved in London within Paediatric Intensive Care, but she changed speciality recently to work in Paediatric Emergency Dept. Her roles have included being a matron and lead nurse for a large acute service, but she has maintained her clinical skills and understanding of the challenges seen in patient facing roles by working regular shifts at the bedside throughout.

Louise only joined the military 7 years ago, passing out of Sandhurst as a proud Capt. As a Paediatric Nurse in the Army Reserves, she serves with 306 Hospital Support Regt. Despite no previous military experience, she has taken every opportunity to advocate for nurses and patients in Defence, including during her 3-year term of office as Specialist Nurse Advisor for Paediatrics (Army). Although Louise hasn’t yet had the opportunity to deploy, she worked under pressure and at pace with NHS and military colleagues to help set up the London Nightingale Hospital during the first wave of the COVID pandemic in 2020.

Louise enjoys keeping fit by cycling, running and playing a bit of tennis, although not to a very good standard. She is married with two successful grown-up children.

Neil Gilbert

General Practice Nursing Officer

Neil joined the army in December 1998 and, after 2 tours of Kosovo as an armoured Infantry Soldier in the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR), transferred to the QARANC to complete his nurse training. Qualifying in 2007, he completed his preceptorship at Frimley Park hospital during which time he deployed to Iraq as a General Practice nurse. 

Following a number of years teaching basic training to new army recruits, Neil was assigned to 1 Armoured Medical Regiment where he was quickly seconded to deploy to Afghanistan, again as a General Practice nurse. On his return he moved into clinical training and worked closely with the United States army, completing both the NATO first responder course, and qualifying for the US Army Expert Field Medical Badge (EFMB). He was invited back to teach on this event the next year, working hand in hand with the US army in delivering medical training.

Following a further assignment to 4 Armoured Medical Regiment, he deployed to BATUS Canada to assess battlegroup medical delivery as an observer mentor, and it was during this time that he completed his General Practice nurse specialisation. Commissioning as an Officer in 2017 he has subsequently been assigned to DPHC as a Senior Nursing Officer (SNO) in Northern Ireland, Germany, Winchester and is currently the Senior Nursing Officer at Redford medical centre, in Edinburgh.

A qualified nurse prescriber, he remains a member of the Battlefield Advance Trauma Life Support (BATLS) course teaching faculty and supports defence inspections as a CQC Specialist Advisor (SpA). 

Rebecca Crisp

Becky qualified as a registered nurse in September 2020. She joined Portsmouth University Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic where she gained experienced in respiratory and critical care. From this, she was inspired to obtain a post-graduate diploma in advanced practice intensive care.

She has supported OP RESCRIPT through vaccinating communities in Manchester and Isle of Skye.

She has an enthusiasm towards quality improvement and research in the following areas critical care, trauma, sustainability and AI.

Mark Cadman

Nursing Officer

Mark originally commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1991 as a Midshipman. Following initial officer training at Dartmouth, he saw active service in the Adriatic with NATO contributing to Operation Maritime Monitor and Operation Sky Monitor serving on HMS INVINCIBLE.

After leaving Regular Service he commenced his Registered Nurse training in the University of Wales College of Medicine, graduating in 1999. A brief stint in anaesthetics was followed by a career in frontline Emergency Medicine and pre-hospital care.

Militarily, he re-joined the Services in 2003 commissioning into the QARANC as a reservist. Following entry officer training, he was trawled for his first operational tour in 2004 and deployed to Op TELIC 5 as an ED Specialist Nurse. Subsequent tours followed on Op HERRICK 4, 8, 11 and 19 in various roles including Regimental Nursing Officer at Role 1 and as the Nursing Officer in Charge of the Emergency Department at Role 2 and Role 3. His last tour of Afghanistan saw him fulfilling the role of the last Second in Command of the Role 3 Hospital in Camp Bastion in 2014.

Firm base postings have been served with 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital in various posts culminating as Officer Commanding Nursing Squadron and Senior Nursing Officer from April 2016 to April 2019. Latterly, he commanded 225 (Scottish) Medical Regiment from September 2019 to March 2022. He was also mobilised as SO1 Med to Standing Joint Command (UK) between Oct 21 and Oct 22, acting as the principal UK operations medical advisor to the 3* HQ.

He is currently the Senior Nursing Officer for 203 (Welsh) Multirole Medical Regiment and has also been trawled and mobilised abroad to support Op INTERLINK in Germany and Poland until April 2025.

Mark has a degree in nursing, a post graduate diploma in Advanced Practice and was recently elevated to a Fellowship of the Chartered Management Institute. He is an instructor in ALS, EPALS, MIMMS, BATLS and M-PHEC. Mark was awarded the Glover Prize by Director Army Nursing Services in 2008 and appointed as an Associate of the Royal Red Cross in the 2009 Operational Honours List.

Mark also served on the Emergency Care Association steering committee in 2017 to 2018.

Suzanne Turner

Bio coming soon