Guest blog by Tracy Turner
They say the path to your dreams is rarely a straight line, but mine looked more like a mountain range I was not equipped to climb. If you had told me, as I left school with zero qualifications, that I would one day lead an award-winning occupational health firm, I would have thought you were dreaming.
I always knew I wanted to be a nurse. However, the academic gates were locked; I needed five GCSEs for SRN training, and I had none. Undeterred, I went to college to secure my Maths and English, which finally opened the door to SEN (State Enrolled Nurse) training. I qualified in 1981, beginning a clinical odyssey through high-pressure environments like Operating Theatres, Recovery, and A&E.
In 1990, I took a decade-long step away from nursing to run a health studio, but the pull of the wards eventually brought me back. When I returned to study in 2000, my tutor asked me what my plans were. I told her I would just continue as an SEN because I was not "clever enough" to study any higher. She looked at me and said, "You are capable of anything you set your mind to." Those words stuck with me, shattering the glass ceiling I had built in my own mind. I successfully completed my conversion course to become an SRN shortly after - achieving the qualification that had seemed impossible for decades.
I swapped the 24/7 chaos of ITU for a 9-to-5 role in local occupational health (OH). Colleagues warned I would be bored, but they could not have been more wrong. Driven to excel, I completed an online Specialist Degree. Along the way, becoming a member of SOM has been invaluable, providing me with a wealth of resources and professional guidance. I decided to retire in 2017, but after just one week, I realised I was not done. I founded Turners Occupational Health & Wellbeing Services.
Building a business from scratch required immense sacrifice. There were endless weekends, holidays, and long nights to ensure the business could grow. I have been sustained by my three children, who saw less of me than I would have liked, and a husband who has always stood by my side. I have also been blessed with amazing mentors - some I have employed, but many from the wider OH community who shared their years of knowledge with me for free.
Growth is not without its stings. We were once defrauded out of £3,000, a painful lesson that led me to invest heavily in professional IT support. Then came COVID-19. We were forced to close for seven months. To ensure we kept up with the best in the field, we worked tirelessly to achieve SEQOHS Accreditation.
We have provided apprenticeships for three staff members, supported the OHT Level 3 course, and provided ongoing training for audio and spirometry. We currently have two nurses due to commence their OH diplomas, as well as a nurse straight out of training learning the OH role.
My aim is to show others that even if school did not work out, you can still achieve greatness if you have the passion to do so.
The last few years have been a whirlwind of validation: in 2024 I was honoured as Businesswoman of the Year; in 2025 our team won National Small Business of the Year & Highly Recommended National Small Business of the Year and this year we moved into new premises and opened our Strength and Recovery Suite to bridge the gap between injury and return-to-work, providing a comprehensive recovery path.
In January, we appointed a Business Director, allowing me to step back from spreadsheets and concentrate on the clinical work. People ask me when I am going to retire. At 65, I suppose it is about time I thought about the next chapter of my life, but retire? Never! Looking back at that teenager who left school with nothing, I realise she did not fail - she was just getting ready for a long, rewarding run.
Tracy Turner is a nurse with over 40 years of experience in a variety of settings, including theatres, A&E, and ITU. She is a specialist OH nurse with a particular interest in OH Law, a menopause expert champion, and the founder of Turners OH.