Initially, I didn’t become a nurse for what might be thought of as the ‘usual reasons.’
Back in 1984 I’d been through a rough patch with some recent personal losses. I was working as a motor mechanic as I’d always been interested in how things work, fixing things, and other sorts of ‘geeky’ stuff. But life had taken a turn for the worse, and I found myself needing somewhere to live. That’s when I spotted an advert in a newspaper for community psychiatric nursing. It sounded interesting. Psychology had always fascinated me, and it came with accommodation in the nurse’s home. At the time, it was exactly what I needed.
I wanted to understand myself better, understand other people better, and do something that felt personally rewarding. That decision – to train as a mental health nurse at the old North Wales Hospital in Denbigh – set the course for the following 40 years of my life.
Since qualifying in 1987 I’ve worked across almost every corner of mental health care. From psychotherapy and clinical supervision to NHS service development, research, and even online therapy design. I’ve had the chance to lead, innovate, and contribute to how mental health services are shaped in Wales and beyond.
One of the things I’m proudest of is designing self-help programmes and digital tools for therapy. I’ve also had the privilege of investigating some of the most complex incidents in mental health care, using root-cause analysis to learn lessons and help make services safer and more responsive.
I later joined Jane Lewis as an agency RMN.
During the pandemic, I supported Public Health Wales, advising nursing homes, schools and workplaces on reducing risk and keeping people safe and played a role in developing services at a time when adaptability was critical.
I never thought that responding to a newspaper ad out of necessity would lead to what it has. But that’s the nature of nursing – it challenges you, changes you, and, if you let it, it teaches you who you are.
Today, I still live in beautiful North Wales. I have wonderful children, and I spend my spare time sea fishing, playing five-a-side football, and messing about with coding and computer design.
Nursing has given me a career, but more than that, it’s given me meaning. And for all the twists and turns along the way, I wouldn’t change a thing.
