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RCN announces Council election results

RCN announces Council election results

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has today announced the results of its Council elections. 

New Council members will begin their term in office on 1 January 2020, running until 31 December 2023. 

The RCN Council provides strategic leadership and direction for the College. 

The 13 members elected to the Council are: 

  • London:  Dr Joan Myers, who is a member of the RCN London Board and a nurse consultant in community children’s nursing at Whittington Health. 
  • Northern: Dr Annessa Rebair, who is a senior lecturer in mental health nursing at Northumbria University. 
  • Northern Ireland: Fiona Devlin, who is the board chair of the RCN Northern Ireland Board and an RCN-accredited trade union representative. 
  • Scotland: Geoff Earl, who has served as RCN Council member for Scotland since January 2019 and is a community mental health nurse at Lothian Health Board.
  • South East: Jeremy Benton, who is the RCN South East region member lead for ‘Staffing for Safe and Effective Care’ and a contract/agency nurse working in the independent sector. 
  • Wales: Richard Jones, who has served as an RCN Council member for Wales since 2016 and was elected as vice chair of the Council in January 2018.
  • West Midlands: Professor Rod Thomson FRCN, who served as the deputy president of the RCN from 2015 to 2018 and is retired. 
  • Yorkshire and the Humber: Catherine Best, who is chair of the Yorkshire and Humber regional board and is a lecturer in nursing at the University of Bradford. 
  • Eastern: Janice Waters (unopposed), who has served as RCN Council member for the Easter region since October 2018. 
  • East Midlands: Deidre Sissions (unopposed), who has served as RCN Council member for the East Midlands since January 2019 and is the CEO of Rainbow Hospice for Children and Young People. 
  • North West: Dave Dawes (unopposed), who has served as RCN Council member for the North West since 2016 and is a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. 
  • South West: Geoffrey Walker (unopposed), who has served as RCN Council member for the South West since January 2019 and is a matron for specialist medicine, cardiology and ambulatory care at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 
  • Nursing Support Worker: Evan Keir (unopposed), who has served as an RCN Council member since January 2019 and is a healthcare support worker in mental health at NHS Dumfries and Galloway. 

A new chair, vice chair and honorary treasurer will be elected by members of RCN Council with the outcome announced by the new year.

Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, said: ‘I congratulate our new members of Council and thank every candidate for the ideas and passion they demonstrated during the campaign. 

‘This four-year Council will bring further stability to our College and they will lead the organisation as it takes our professional and trade union agenda forward.  We are proudly led by our members and the RCN is fortunate to have individuals of this calibre stepping forward for Council. 

‘Members who have given loyal service on Council have my personal gratitude as their terms come to an end.’

Sue Warner, out-going Chair of Council, said: ‘Serving on Council is a huge privilege – working on behalf of our members, and the wider nursing profession. 

‘I would like to thank the outgoing members of Council for their dedicated service and for steering the College through some challenging issues. I also want to pay tribute to all the candidates in the election some of whom will be understandably disappointed today. 

‘I extend a warm welcome to the new members of Council who will pick up the baton and take us through the next few years – you will be the guardians of our profession and I urge you to take that responsibility seriously.’

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The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has today announced the results of its ruling Council elections.