If you'd told the 21-year-old version of me, the fresh-faced nurse starting out on a bustling surgical ward, that one day I'd be named Nursing Times Nurse Leader of the Year... I'd have probably laughed. My world then was based around trying desperately to look like I knew what I was doing.

This ward was where it all began: the place that taught me teamwork, humility, and how to steady myself through the chaotic symphony that is nursing. It’s where I first understood that being a nurse wasn’t just a job, it was something that would shape the whole rhythm of my life.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the ward, I loved the pace, clinical challenges, constant learning - but somewhere inside me, a little voice whispered that it might be time for something different – this turned to be prisons.

I stepped into a world I knew virtually nothing about, quickly realising the patient group was one of the most overlooked and vulnerable, and that lit a fire in me. The variety, the unpredictability, the camaraderie among staff and patients - it instantly felt right. There wasn't a single defining moment, more a steady, powerful sense of I'm exactly where I'm meant to be.

Seven years on, that curiosity has grown into genuine passion. I've been invested in, coached, guided, and challenged - with the belief that I could grow into the role I hold today. Now, I have the privilege of working as a regional leader with Practice Plus Group where I’ve been for over 8 years.

I support prison Clinical Leads to deliver high standards of patient care, guide workforce development, and help keep those professional standards high. Most days involve problem-solving, championing quality, and ensuring patients get the care they deserve - even when the system around them is complex.

The drivers are knowing the work we do directly impacts people who are so often forgotten. Advocating for them never gets old. Equally rewarding is being able to help clinical leads work through challenges, find solutions, and then see the positive outcomes ripple out to patients.

A lecturer once told me:

“Aspire to be that nurse where people say: ask them — they'll know”

That stuck with me. I've taken it to heart my whole career: It's not about being perfect—it's about being present.

I joined prison healthcare out of curiosity. But I stayed because the work is meaningful, dynamic, and genuinely unlike anything else in nursing. I love taking clinical guidance and adapting it to suit our patient group - it stretches every ounce of clinical reasoning I have.

The teamwork is phenomenal: highs are sky-high, lows are always shared - you never feel alone.

Winning the award felt surreal, leadership in nursing is never a solo act. It's built on the foundations laid by teams, mentors, colleagues, and patients who trust you to stand up for them.

For me, the award isn't about being the best. It's about being part of something that matters, something that genuinely changes lives, and doing it with consistency, compassion.

If you're thinking about a career with health and justice, do it. Our patient group will challenge you, stretch you, and show you sides of nursing you might never have imagined – it's incredibly rewarding.

I'm proud of how far I've come, but excited about what's next for our teams, our patients, and the future of this remarkable field of nursing.

If my journey shows anything, it's that sometimes the most unexpected paths lead to the most meaningful places.