Blackpool dad and daughter become mental health nurses together

A father and daughter from Blackpool have recently qualified and began their careers as mental health nurses together at the same hospital.

Dynamic duo Steven Jewell, 42, and Stevie-Leigh Jewell, 22, graduated within a matter of weeks of one another and are now both working at The Harbour mental health hospital in Blackpool, Lancashire.

Mr Jewell said it was ‘wonderful’ to be able to do it together and Ms Jewell said she felt ‘so lucky’ to be able to share the experience with her dad.

Mr Jewell continued: “We have both at times experienced poor mental health and I think that is ultimately what drives us to want to help others.

“People often ask us who inspired who but I think it was a joint effort after speaking about our career aspirations together we both realised we wanted the same thing.”

Although the pair share the same career, they have taken completely different paths towards achieving their dream jobs.

Mr Jewell started working as a healthcare support worker at The Harbour where he had no prior experience of working in mental health.

Before working at the hospital, he had spent his working life as a greengrocer and doing other manual job roles.

However, after gaining valuable experience and being inspired by his care role, he decided to take on a trainee nursing associate course before going on to complete a registered nursing degree apprenticeship.

“You are never too old,” he said.

On making the bold decision to change career path in mid-life and become a mature student, Mr Jewell said it can feel ‘daunting’. 

But, he said he had the encouragement and support of his family and peers as well as his daughter to ‘follow my dreams’.

His daughter, who graduated as a mental health nurse from Edgehill University in Liverpool, said: “I love my job and I feel so lucky to be able to share this experience with my dad.

“We started studying at the same time so it feels special to have graduated within a few weeks of each other, as we’ve both seen how hard we’ve worked.”

“I’m excited for my future working life and the impact I have on people – I love knowing I’m making a difference and helping people live better and reach their full potential and I know my dad feels the same,” Ms Jewell added.

Mr Jewell, who was named the apprentice of the year 2023, added: “It has been wonderful to do this together and support one another.”

Chris Oliver, chief executive of Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust which runs The Harbour, said: “To see their shared passion is inspirational; care and compassion clearly runs in their family.

“We are extremely lucky to have them working with our older adult service users and I personally can’t wait to see what else Steven and Stevie-Leigh go on to achieve with us.”