Mandy Stevens will receive a Special Achievement Award from the Cavell Nurses’ Trust, a charity that supports nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants suffering personal or financial hardship, often due to illness, disability, older age and domestic abuse.

Mandy worked for mental health services for 30 years but then was diagnosed with severe depression herself. She is using her own story to help others.  

Mandy said: “I wanted other people to realise that mental ill health can strike any of us, without warning. It is nothing to be ashamed of, and the support that’s out there really can make a difference. The first step is to be brave and ask for help.”

Chairman of the Cavell Nurses’ Trust, Simon Knighton, said: “At Cavell Nurses’ Trust, we’re proud to help nurses coping with health problems both mental and physical to recover and get back to the job they love.

“But we know that nurses don’t always find it easy to ask for help. In choosing to share her story, Mandy has given a powerful signal that it is ok to reach out for help. We hope other nursing professionals throughout the UK – who work tirelessly to help others, often under great stress – will be encouraged by Mandy’s story, and feel no shame in asking for help when they need it.”