Celebrating Mental Health Nurses’ Day: What makes the role so rewarding
As we mark Mental Health Nurses' Day on February 21, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) celebrates the vital role of mental health nurses in supporting individuals through some of their most challenging times.
Mental health nursing is a career where no two days are the same. For Adam Smith, his journey into the profession was unplanned until he was prompted by a friend to join NSFT in 2014 as an agency worker.
After finding his passion for supporting people through vulnerable moments, Adam completed his nurse training and is now a lead mental health practitioner. Working across four GPs in South Norfolk, he is the first point of contact for mental health concerns.
Adam said: “Being a mental health nurse is more than just a profession. It’s about standing beside people in their most vulnerable moments, offering support when they feel lost, and advocating for those who struggle to find their voice.
“It’s challenging, emotional, and at times overwhelming, but it is also deeply rewarding. Together we are an incredible family of individuals, we stand together through the highs and lows, supporting not only our patients but also each other.”
Adam was recently awarded the Health Inequalities Award at the Trust’s Safer Kinder Better Awards for creating MHSelf-Help, a website with mental health resources for Norfolk and Suffolk. You can access this resource here: https://beacons.ai/mhselfhelp.
Samuel Byrne is a clinical team leader on a male inpatient ward for people with dementia or other organic conditions. As well as supporting 13 patients, he also provides clinical leadership to more than 40 healthcare workers.
He said: “Nursing is an extremely varied career and full of opportunities. For me, compassion, clinical expertise and leadership skills are the staples of a competent nurse.
“As a leader and manager of a team, my goal is to provide quality care that is effective and in a safe environment - but also to provide a place where people want to work.
“We work with patients and their families through some of the most challenging periods of their lives; that is a massive responsibility and an even bigger privilege. Being able to be a solid touchstone for patients and their families in such a state of flux while advocating for a high standard of care is one of the reasons I am a nurse.”
Deputy modern matron Devan Green is another example of how dedication can lead to rapid career progression. Having known from a young age that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her healthcare-oriented family, Devan started her career as a mental health support worker at 18.
She soon knew she could make a real difference as a nurse, and at age 26 she qualified all while studying at university through her pregnancy and her son’s early years. Since joining NSFT she has applied her commitment and compassion in becoming a valued clinical leader in her service.
Devan, who works in acute psychiatric care, said: “No two days are the same. You’re a huge part in someone’s life. It’s being that light at the end of a tunnel, and for some people, that’s the difference between life and death.
“We don’t have fancy gadgets or big machines, but we have eyes and ears and that is a mental health nurse’s biggest tool.”
Devan is passionate about not only improving patient care but also inspiring junior staff and creating a supportive work environment for her colleagues. She added: “Nurses are there when you’re at your lowest. We absorb your pain, your torment, your trauma, and we carry that with us, and we take it home with us. It’s not easy.
“But the joy of seeing someone transition from when they first came into our services to the end, and knowing you helped that person get back to the life that they enjoyed, that’s what makes our career so special.”
Anthony Deery, chief nurse at NSFT, said: “I'd like to use Mental Health Nurses' Day as an opportunity to thank all my mental health nursing colleagues for everything they do to support those in need of care, support and kindness - not just today, but every day of the year. Your contribution is immense, so thank you and have a good day!”
If you are interested in pursuing a career with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, please view our vacancies here: https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/apply-now/
Photos: Mental Health Nurses' Day 2025 photos NSFT.zip [zip] 6MB