As nursing faces a backlog of care and a short-staffing crisis, professionals who left but yearn to return are being welcomed back with open arms

In the 20 years she spent outside of nursing, a lot changed for Alison Leatherbarrow. After five years working as a mental health nurse, she decided on a sharp career change – retraining as an engineer and eventually getting a job at Transport for London (TfL), where she stayed for 15 years. She also started a family.