RCN London Board

Jim Blair (RCN London Board Chair)

Jim is an Independent Consultant Nurse Learning Disabilities, Associate Professor (Hon) Intellectual (Learning) Disabilities at Kingston University and St George's University of London, panel member of the NMC Fitness to Practice Panel, independent clinical reviewer, and advisor for learning disabilities at NHS England and NHS London Region. Jim is also Patron of Dance Syndrome and on the editorial board of Intellectual Disability. Jim has been the Learning Disability Advisor to the States of Guernsey and Jersey. Jim is a Past President of the Royal Society of Medicine’s council for Intellectual Disability and has been Vice Chairman of Special Olympics Great Britain. Jim has been an Expert Advisor to the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman as well as a specialist clinical advisor to the CQC, Clinical Lead Health Inequalities at NHS England, health advisor to the British Institute of Learning Disabilities and learning disability nursing lead at the RCN. 

Carol Webley-Brown (RCN Council Member)

Carol is our representative on RCN Council.  She brings a wealth of experience to her role on RCN Council, having 44 years of clinical experience. Carol has worked as a general practice nurse and in accident and emergency, primary care, and mental health nursing. She has an extensive track record in speaking up for nurses and patients, having worked as an independent patient liaison member on the General Medical Council, and as a trustee and non-executive member of four hospital and hospice organisations. Carol currently serves as an independent panel member on Lewisham and Greenwich councils offering her clinical experience to the fostering service. She has also held several lecturing positions throughout her career.

Chloé Donovan

Chloé is a Continuous Improvement Lead working collaboratively with services to improve patient experience, and an Independent Consultant Nurse Learning Disabilities who holds an MSc in Public Health and Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding. She is proactive in bringing learning disability and autism to the forefront, to ensure that it has a fundamental place within the profession.

Chloé has worked on various initiatives with the NHSE national team including the NextGen Nurse, Narrative Coaching, Humans of Nursing, Art project and the Circles Projects, as well as contributing to the Learning Disability website. Chloé is an active member of the CNO Policy Network, CNO CMidO BME SAG (Chief Nursing Officer & Chief Midwifery Officers Black and Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group) and UK Learning Disability Consultant Nurse Network. As a board member she is passionate about equity, empowering, inclusion and the pay gap.

Ellie Drake

Ellie has been a Registered Nurse for over 13 years, starting as an orthopaedic nurse and then working in outpatients, surgery, and urology before finding her passion in complex discharge planning. She has been an RCN member since 2006 when she represented her cohort as a student rep and attended RCN congress as a student member. She is an active member of the Outer South East London branch and has attended Congress as a voting member. She has been previously awarded a King’s Award for the passion she puts into patient care. Ellie is a strong believer that the RCN has the ability to affect change throughout the NHS and beyond. 

Sonia Henry (RCN Professional Nursing Committee Representative)

Sonia is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of nursing experience. Sonia has worked in women’s health and medical and surgical including primary and community healthcare. Sonia has held senior nursing roles, providing leadership and management within specific areas of clinical and quality governance. Sonia joined Royal Trinity Hospice Charity as their Director of Nursing in August 2022. She has worked on raising the profile of nursing, across educational institutions, recruitment and retention of nurses, including Return to Practice and International Nursing. Sonia recently supported the healthcare assistants to train as nursing associates into the hospice core nursing workforce. She is passionate about continually improving the representation that reflects the diversity of the nursing workforce to ensure safe staffing levels.  

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.

Aries Maximus Ogbuokiri

With over 12 years of experience within the NHS and private sector, Aries Maximus started his nursing career in emergency medicine in Rome, Italy. He expanded his clinical experience at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in the major trauma centre where he developed his interest in clinical research. He has played a pivotal role in supporting nurses to be research active clinicians and embedding clinical research within NHS Trusts.

He is currently Lead Research Nurse at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals. Aries is keen to drive forward initiatives that aim to reshape the future of nursing and healthcare.

Karen Sanders (RCN Trade Union Committee Representative)

Karen is a Registered Nurse with over 35 years’ nursing experience. Prior to becoming a Senior Lecturer at London South Bank University in the Institute of Health & Social Care, Karen specialised in adult intensive care and neuroscience nursing and held management, practice development and education roles. Karen has been an RCN Learning Representative for over 15 years and was the Chair of the UK Learning Representatives Committee from 2014 – 2019. Karen has been the London Region representative on the Trade Union Committee since 2018 and as a result sits on the London Board. Karen is the Treasurer of the Inner South East London Branch. Karen has major concerns about the future of the NHS and of nursing education and training and is keen to work with the RCN, its members and relevant other parties to ameliorate the situation and address the challenges, problems and conflicts presently being faced.

Anjella Skerritt

Anjella has more than 35 years experience as a Registered  Nurse, registered midwife and family nurse practitioner, working mainly in primary healthcare. She has an MBA from the University of Wales and experience in program management including cervical smear and HIV/AIDS/STI at national and regional levels in the Caribbean.  Anjella was born in Jamaica but lived most of her adult life in Montserrat. Anjella has been a practice nurse in the UK since 2013. She is keen to improve the representation and working conditions of nurses, with special focus on Practice Nurses in London.

Patricia Yiggon (Inner South West London)

Pat is a Registered Nurse with 10 years' clinical experience working at St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London. She has clinical background knowledge in cardiology, gastro and liver. She is currently transferred to the Gynaecology Outpatient Department. Pat has been an active RCN Member since 2007 when she started as a student at Kingston University, and she became an RCN Learning Rep in 2015. Pat is a member of Staff Side and the Partnership Forum, as well as the chair of the Inner South West London branch of the RCN.

Rosetta West

Rosetta is a Senior Lecturer at London South Bank University (LSBU) in the Institute’s, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Adult Department. Rosetta joined LSBU in 2005 having previously worked in a large London teaching hospital. She is passionate about education for sustainable development, diabetes management and the management of older persons services. She was awarded a doctorate in 2019 her thesis with the title: Senior Lecturers’ Understanding of Education for Sustainable Development.

Rosetta is concerned with the holistic journey of internationally recruited nursing staff and is dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion and social justice; erasing lifelong debt; facilitating lifelong learning; and an overall improvement of quality of life for nursing staff.

Noeleen Behan (RCN Stewards Committee)

Noeleen is a Registered Nurse with over 37 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 then completed an MSc Management course, both at the University of Hertfordshire. Noeleen was previously been the Chair of the RCN Outer North Central London Branch and has served the branch in a number of executive positions over the past twenty years and continues to be an active steward. Noeleen was the Chair of staff side at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust for over ten years prior to its merger with the Royal Free. Noeleen has twenty years experience as an RCN Steward and is an experienced negotiator as well as an experienced ACAS trained mediator. Noeleen has held a position on the London board for eight years before being elected into her current position on the UK Stewards Committee to represent London.

Catalina Cerlinca (RCN Nursing Support Worker Committee Representative)

Catalina is a nursing associate and our representative on the Nursing Support Worker Committee. Catalina came to the UK 13 years ago and started her NHS career working in domestic services before training to become a nursing associate. Catalina was one of the first 1000 nursing associates after being part of the pilot programme and is passionate about highlighting the vital role nursing support workers play.

Nancy Ghansah (RCN Safety Representatives Committee)

Nancy is a registered nurse with over 29 years of nursing experience, including 17 years in operational management. Nancy trained to be a nurse in Ghana and has been working in the UK since 2002. Nancy was a lecturer at King’s College London teaching Ophthalmic Nursing. She is currently a Matron at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Nancy is both an RCN Steward and RCN Safety Representative. Nancy is very passionate about health and safety  of both service users and staff. Nancy promotes and leads in health safety initiatives and projects with good outcomes.

Zaneta Sadauskaite (RCN Student Committee Representative)

Zaneta is a dedicated second-year Adult Nursing student at the University of East London. As a passionate student representative, Zaneta advocates for the needs of the nursing community, bringing a strategic perspective with her background in business management. Her commitment extends beyond academics, indulging in long walks in nature, culinary pursuits, and a love for reading. Zaneta invites others to join her in making a meaningful impact on nursing education, fostering a community where every voice is heard and valued.