A proud Ashby-based aunt is passing the nursing baton on to her niece.

Janine McKnight, 65, is due to retire in October after 46 years spanning three careers - and she is delighted to see niece Tegan Wood, 18, take her first steps in Nursing.

After a highly decorated worldwide healthcare career, Janine handed Tegan a fob watch that she had been given by her parents 46 years ago.

Tegan, who was born at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and, like Janine is also from Wednesfield in the West Midlands, has just completed a BTEC in Triple Health and Social Care at Ormiston SWB Academy, Bilston.

She has been awarded additional funding to support her studies on a BNurs (Hons) Mental Health Nursing degree at the University of Birmingham after passing a test.

And Tegan is prepared to return to where it all started for her aunt four and a half decades ago.

Janine said: "My mum and dad gave me this fob watch in 1978 and I'm proud to pass it on to Tegan.

"She's a bright button who has always dreamt of becoming a nurse, and I've nurtured her."

Her message to Tegan is: "Be kind, be compassionate and do what matters."

Tegan added: "I'm really looking forward to be continuing the family legacy into Nursing, and the avenues it might take me to."

Mum of two and grandmother of four, Janine trained at New Cross Hospital from 1978 to 1980.

Transferring to Tamworth and Burton Hospital as an Enrolled Nurse, she then re-trained as an RGN in 1994 at Good Hope Hospital. 

The following year she left to re-train as a Midwife at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham. After five years she changed direction again and re-trained as a Health Visitor, until retirement in 2019.

In 2001 Janine, who now lives in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, started on her third career in the NHS when she became a Health Visitor before initially semi-retiring in 2019.

Returning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Janine was appointed Personalised Care Manager at Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) before becoming a freelance Caesarean Section Recovery Coach, which she still does.

Janine with her awards

In 2009, Janine was Invited to speak Internationally on Premature baby care and breastfeeding, she went to Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia to deliver teaching to over 1,000 nurses and carers.

Janine became a Queen's Nurse in 2010 for her work through the Royal College of Nursing on the shaken baby syndrome programme, on which she was invited to speak in Atlanta, USA.

Another two accolades came her way in 2019. Janine won the Community and General Practice Nursing category of the RCNi Nurse Awards for developing the Five Guide, a simple tool that encourages maternity clinicians to use their own hand and five digits as a communication guide to enhance recovery and safeguard women from infection after a caesarean section. 

Later that same year she was awarded a British Empire Medal, by Her Majesty the Queen, for 'services to Nursing'.

In 2021-22 Janine worked further on her caesarean pathway with Midwives in Brisbane, Australia exploring caesarean wound care and recovery following c-section.

This led to an opportunity to co-author with an Australian Midwife the 'C-Section Recovery Manual: Your Body, Your Recovery'. 

Janine also told the Wolverhampton Express & Star: "I have had a wonderful career and I have enjoyed all the pleasures of being rewarded in that career.

"After 46 years of me being in nursing, I'm now passing the baton and the legacy of my fob watch on to Tegan for her to take into her nursing career."