Regional Board

Vicky Brotherton - Board Chair

 Vicky is Chair of the South West Regional Board as well as the Plymouth Branch. She has been a nurse for 41 years and an RCN member since 1992. She has worked in the South West since 1982 in health care of the elderly and people with learning disabilities. In 1989 she qualified in ophthalmic nursing, she became an ophthalmology nurse practitioner in 1992, and she has been a senior sister for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Foundation Trust ophthalmic outpatient department and urgent care since 2005.

Vicky is lead RCN steward and health and safety representative at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. She is staff side chair and trust lead for Agenda for Change job evaluation. She was an RCN Council member from 2016 to 2018 and was Chair of the RCN South West Board from 2017 to 2018. She is chair of the Plymouth Branch, and was awarded RCN Health and Safety Representative of the Year Award in 2020.

Jeanette Jones - RCN Council member

Jeanette (Nettie) is the Council member for the South West region, as well as secretary of the Greater Bristol Branch, the largest RCN branch in UK. As an advocate for our members she works closely with RCN staff and Council members to gain the best for the nursing workforce.

By background she is an orthopaedic nurse.

She is employed as lead steward for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust. 

Colin Baker - Professional Nursing Committee member

Colin Baker is an RMN Lead Nurse and Service Manager working in Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust. He has worked in the NHS for more than 30 years and has more than 20 years' experience as a union representative. His clinical speciality is in older people's mental health and dementia and he is the South West representative on the Professional Nursing Committee.

Emma Hallam - Trade Union Committee member

Emma has been an RCN safety rep since 2017, and a steward since 2019, describing herself as 'trade unionist through and through'.
She is now the full-time RCN lead representative at North Bristol NHS Trust, where she has worked since 2011. She is currently supporting the Joint Union Committee Secretary role there. 

Emma registered as a nurse in 1994. She has had a varied clinical background, having worked in acute and critical care settings, as well as in the community, working in continuing care. As a military wife, she has moved and worked across the UK. 

Her most recent patient-facing role was as a neurology research nurse. However, much of her time supporting clinical trials in 2020, was spent in Covid-19 vaccine and treatments, with her many incredible colleagues in the Research and Development Department. She was redeployed during the pandemic and completed her LLB (Law Bachelor's degree) with the Open University in 2021, alongside her work, rep roles, and bringing up her kids.

In September 2023 she starts a master's in Employment, Work and Equality at Bristol University. 

She loves her profession and campaigning for her colleagues to get the pay, terms and conditions they deserve for the incredible work they do.

Nick Browning

Nick is a advanced nurse practitioner working in the general surgical department at Southmead Hospital, Bristol. He has been a RCN member for eleven years. Clinically he works on front door assessment, as well as supporting the wards. He has a particular interest in service improvement and supporting colleagues to implement positive change.

Matthew Stewart

Matthew has been involved with the RCN since starting as a student, attending Gloucestershire branch meetings and being active as a student rep. Since qualifying he has been more involved with the branch at events and with campaigns. He currently holds the position of secretary within the Gloucestershire branch and helps to organise its annual CPD day. He works as a practice development and excellence facilitator and provides person-centred development and peer support to nurses, nursing support workers and students, by developing them all. He has been working in the acute trust since qualifying and worked on the ward so understands the pressure that are currently faced by the profession.

Kirsten Bland

Kirsten is a registered nurse in learning disabilities. Her background includes managing care homes in the private sector before moving to work with in NHS. Within the NHS, Kirsten has experience in working with Continuing Health Care and Children and Young People's Continuing Care. Her current role is Adult Safeguarding Lead. Kirsten is an RCN learning representative and is committed to supporting members to develop as nursing professionals. 

Nettie Snelling

Netty Snelling is a new member of the RCN South West Board. She has a plethora of skills and experience in many different settings including community, secondary care, and education, which will support her to execute the principles of this role. She feels that nursing is a fantastic and varied profession that goes beyond health care and has allowed her to make a real difference to the lives of others. In her current role in safeguarding and education she recognises that capturing the voice of nursing staff can only lead to improvement in patient care. 

Cathy Ellingford

Cathy is currently the lead nurse and Director of Care Quality at Ocean Healthcare. She qualified as a nurse in 1984, and has been both a general and paediatric nurse.

She has held various positions, from director and commissioner through to clinical lead. As lead nurse, her role is to work with clients and staff to examine their needs in order to deliver excellence in care, supporting both nurses and clients. Key roles include pastoral care, training and support. She helps nurses with NMC revalidation, maintaining their registration, and striving for excellence.

She looks forward to bringing her skills and experience in governance and care development to the Board, recognising the enormous scale of the task in these challenging times. She enjoyed meeting other board and branch members at a recent board and branch development day held at RCN headquarters in Cavendish Square, London, where she found members' passion and diversity inspirational. She is humbled to think that her colleagues and members across the South West voted for her and looks forward to being inclusive of all RCN members, both within and outside of the NHS, and to leading change through leadership, education and support.

Ashleigh Taylor

Ashleigh Taylor is a member of the Greater Bristol Branch and an independent sector member of the South West Regional Board. Ashleigh qualified in 2003 from the University of Southampton with BN Hons and, discovering a passion for education, achieved a PGCE in further education. Ashleigh’s background is in emergency care, frailty, out of hours, and, more recently, place-based urgent care.

Ashleigh currently works as a senior manager in urgent care for Sirona care & health, the community provider for the BNSSG ICB. He is a qualified advanced nurse practitioner and is currently accrediting under the HEE Advanced Practice portfolio programme. 

Ashleigh is passionate about delivering first-class evidence-based nursing care. He wants to ensure that, where possible, all who wish to can access and join the nursing profession. He believes in supporting all colleagues to develop and grow their careers to become the best they can be. 

Natasha Goswell

Emmanual Assimah