Deputy CEO of St Andrew's to return to nursing in wake of Covid-19 pandemic

The Deputy CEO of St Andrew’s Healthcare is heading back to university to regain his nursing registration. Jess Lievesley said he was inspired by the heroic work delivered by staff during the Covid-19 pandemic and he hopes to inspire others, who may have either dropped out of the profession, or are looking to get into nursing.

 “Over the last year I have watched so many nurses do the most amazing things, in the most challenging of circumstances and at times I have wanted to be able to help more than I was able. Whilst I never want to see us return to the challenges of 2020, if there ever is a next time, I want to be as prepared as I can be to work alongside our nursing colleagues however I can.”

Jess joined St Andrew's in April 2019 from Hertfordshire Partnership NHS University Foundation Trust, where he was Executive Director of Delivery and Service User Experience. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, having started out in nursing and specialising in mental healthcare nursing. He has since held senior positions in both public sector and NHS organisations.

Jess will be doing his Return to Nursing Practice programme with the University of Northampton. The 16-week course will give him the opportunity to revisit his professional roots and update his practice, which will allow him to register as a nurse again.

“I will be doing my clinical practice during annual leave and at weekends on one of our psychiatric intensive care units, under the watchful eye of Akim Bande, the nurse manager of the ward.

“Returning to nursing practice can look a bit scary and daunting, so I want to help dispel these myths a bit. I would love it if my journey made other colleagues in our charity or elsewhere think that returning to nursing practice is something they can do.”

Jess added that the course will help him appreciate the wider challenges faced by nurses up and down the country, which he can then factor into the future development and delivery of services.