Jeremy Benton (Council Member) - Jeremy is the link for Brighton and Hove Branch

Jeremy qualified in 2004 and has worked in a number of settings including Flight Nursing, Critical Care and High Dependency Units in the NHS and independent sector in the UK and overseas. He has been involved with the RCN since he was a nursing student and has been a student steward, a workplace steward, staffside chair and branch chair. 

You can contact Jeremy by emailing: jeremy.benton@rcn.org.uk

Adam Mapp (Board Chair) - Adam is the link for West Kent and Medway Branch, Recruitment, and the Board/Branch Development Group

Adam is currently a Charge Nurse on a General Medical Ward in Margate, having worked there since he qualified in 2017.
Adam represents RCN members by acting as a Safety Representative, the Chair of the East Kent branch, and as a member of the South East Regional Board.

You can contact Adam by emailing: adam.mapp@reps.rcn.org.uk 

Heather Mercer (Board Vice Chair) - Heather is the link for West Sussex

You can contact Heather by emailing: heather.mercer@reps.rcn.org.uk

Modupe Akin-Areola (Board Member) - Mo is the link for Milton Keynes Branch

Modupe has been a qualified Mental Nurse for around 30 years. She started her nursing career in Neuro Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, and has been working in Southern Health NHS  Foundation Trust for the last 15 years. During this time she has gained invaluable knowledge and professional experience handling forensic patients and adult psychiatry.
She has been an active member of the RCN since she started working in the NHS. She is an RCN Learning Rep, and regularly promotes and supports staff with their learning needs. She has participated actively in joint conferences, organised teaching sessions and revalidation. She has been a member of the South East Board since 2016. Her hobbies include travelling, reading and listening to music.

You can contact Mo by emailing: modupe.akin-areola@reps.rcn.org.uk

Hugo Dias Bastos (Board Member)

Hugo started his nursing career in England in 2015, initially working as a Healthcare Assistant while awaiting his NMC pin. From a Staff Nurse in A&E at East Surrey Hospital, he progressed to being a Matron in a nursing home. Working within the private sector, NHS and through nursing agencies has given him a detailed view of how different systems work and the chance to see different work policies, cultures and types of practice. He started his foundation training in Portugal (where he is originally from), studying acting for one year, which helped him develop his communication skills. He completed his Social Action Technician Course, alongside his Paramedic course through the Portuguese Red Cross (he was a volunteer paramedic, 2007-2015). He then completed a teaching course and became an external teacher within the Portuguese Education System. Hugo is currently a Charge Nurse in A&E at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, and is also an RCN Steward and the Chair of Brighton and Hove Branch.

You can contact Hugo by emailing: hugo.diasbastos@reps.rcn.org.uk

Eunice Dupute (Board Member) - Eunice is the link for Southampton and Isle of Wight Branch

Eunice works as a Staff Nurse at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, specialising in cardiovascular and thoracic nursing. She has been an active RCN Steward since 2019 and her trade union activities date back overseas as an active member of the Bulawayo Municipal Employees’ Union, an affiliate of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. Eunice has 15 years of experience spanning nursing in hospitals, the community, and in domiciliary care settings with private care agencies. During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic Eunice was part of a surveillance research team monitoring community transmission. She also took part in the COVID-19 research for IQVIA on behalf of the ONS and Oxford University.  Prior to joining the health sector, Eunice worked in HR. With her MSc in Human Resources Management, Eunice will use her skills and attributes to champion the welfare of nursing. Eunice enjoys following current affairs and taking part in fundraising.

You can contact Eunice by emailing: eunice.dupute@reps.rcn.org.uk 

Rosemary Gorvin (Board Member)

Rosemary completed her state registered nurse training at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington in 1978. The majority of her nursing career has been undertaken at her family’s nursing home in Hampshire which was owned by her mother, who was also a registered nurse. She inherited the nursing home and managed the day to day organisation and care of the residents. This involved the organising and clinical care of the residents, the organising and care of the staff, and the support of residents' families. Importantly she was also responsible for the financial viability of the home to ensure that residents received the level of care that allowed them to lead a good quality of life. Rosemary has recently retired from her position at the nursing home and can offer an important insight into the role of nurses in the care home sector, including the excellent care that they deliver and the difficulties they encounter. 

Lorraine Hicking-Woodison (Board Member) - Lorraine is the link for East Kent Branch and RCN Education, Learning and Development Strategy

Lorraine is an Assistant Practitioner and Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) training lead. She currently delivers a level 3 training programme for HCSWs in Kent and Medway GP practices. She is passionate about her work and believes that HCSWs play an extremely valuable role in teams and that their learning and development is very important.  She has been an active member of the RCN since 2009. She is committed to raising the profile of NSWs. She has campaigned for the regulation of HCSWs and has served on various RCN committees including Nursing Support and Forum Governance Group. She also currently represents nursing support on the RCNi  Editorial Advisory Board. She has a special interest in health promotion and part of her role as an Assistant Practitioner focuses on helping patients with their weight management. 

You can contact Lorraine by emailing: lorraine.hicking-woodison@reps.rcn.org.uk

Liz Jeremiah (Ex Officio Trade Union Committee) - Liz is the link for Portsmouth Branch and the Board/Branch Development Group 

You can contact Liz by emailing: liz.jeremiah@reps.rcn.org.uk 

Olufemi 'Abi' Lawal (Board Member) - Abi is the link for East Sussex Branch and RCN Education, Learning and Development Strategy

Abi, as she is fondly called, is a frontline nurse of over 30 years. She is currently a Ward Manager on a General Medical Ward with specialty in the Care of Older Persons at Frimley Park Hospital. She is a qualified Midwife and Adult Nurse, and has worked in different specialties including Maternity, Haemodialysis, Acute Medicine and Rheumatology. Abi obtained an MSc in Learning and Teaching for Professional Practice and she is a registered teacher on the NMC register. A Practice Supervisor/Assessor for learners in clinical practice, she was also an associate lecturer at the Oxford Brookes University.  Abi has been a member of the RCN for over 20 years and was recently elected into the Board role.
Abi led the 'DRINK UP' initiative, a campaign aimed at improving hydration in older persons. In her spare time Abi enjoys cooking, reading, watching films. She is a devout Christian who enjoys teaching children in Sunday School.

You can contact Abi by emailing: olufemi.lawal@reps.rcn.org.uk

Anita McBride (Board Member)

Anita qualified as a registered nurse in London in 1986 and has since been employed by both the NHS and universities. She was a Director of a Research Unit at Oxford University, focusing on health promotion in its widest sense, and writing a textbook to assist health care professionals. She has a doctorate from Oxford and has published in several journals. She has also been the lead on behalf of the DoH in identifying and prioritising topics for NHS research funding, and the Head of R&D for a large NHS Trust. She spent several years in Tanzania as a volunteer where she was also honoured to be able to lead the development of nurse training throughout the country. She has been an active member of St John Ambulance for many years and wrote the very first ambulance aid training manual. She has substantial experience in EDs and has always combined her academia-based posts with working in ED. Currently, she works for South Central Ambulance Service as a clinical manager for 111/Integrated Urgent Care. She is an RCN Steward and the Treasurer for the Hampshire Branch.
You can contact Anita by emailing: anita.mcbride@reps.rcn.org.uk

Josie Mutalu (Board Member)