Leading with heart behind the scenes

At Nurture Health, our mission of delivering holistic medical care and world-class physical rehabilitation would not be possible without the dedicated women who keep the organisation running behind the scenes.

This Women’s Month, we celebrate three of many remarkable leaders at our network of rehabilitation hospitals across South Africa: Nelly Tlale, Beverley Jantjies, and Carryn James.

Although they work outside the clinical frontline, they know that every patient’s journey matters.

They help to build the foundation for our teams of healthcare specialists to provide life-changing care in areas such as stroke recovery, neurological rehabilitation, mental rehab, and injury rehab.

Here are their stories, in their own words.

Nelly Tlale
"My career is about people, growth and change”

Human Resources Manager Nelly Tlale never imagined she would step away from clinical care. She joined Nurture Health as a registered nurse more than a decade ago, planning to specialise in mental health or neurology. But her path – through nursing management, hospital leadership and now HR – has been guided by her passion for people.

“I realised my focus was making sure we have the right people in the right spaces, and creating an environment where they can perform and grow,” she says. “Every day I learn something new from the people I meet.”

Now she supports the professional development and wellness of staff so they can deliver exceptional therapeutic treatment to our patients – because investing in our people is key to providing the best medical care for our patients.

Read more: How we build skills for the future

The most rewarding part of her role, she says, is engaging with different people.

“Every day brings the opportunity to learn from each interaction and to grow in understanding. The most challenging is not always having answers for everyone. This role constantly pushes me out of my comfort zone, encouraging me to find creative solutions to complex problems.”

Nelly finds inspiration in role models like Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng and the character Dr Max Goodwin of the TV show New Amsterdam, who reminds her of the power of purpose and calm in the face of challenges.

If her career were a movie? The title would be: Umthombo: The Well of Change. The Bridge Builder.

Beverly Jantjies 
“Training and developing people is my purpose”

Organisation Development Manager Beverley Jantjies began her career as a physiotherapist at Nurture Aurora in Gqeberha. She moved into therapy management, hospital leadership, and now organisational development, always focused on strengthening the people and processes that underpin high-quality medical treatment.

What does she find rewarding?

“Having the opportunity to train and develop people and using my knowledge and skill to improve policies and processes,” she says.

“The most challenging part of my role is to pull people from the floor to train during high occupancies as well as ensure we have enough devices to ensure training happens without delay.”

Even though she spent years in direct patient care, helping people regain mobility and independence after disability rehabilitation, Beverley also loves numbers, serving as treasurer of the Physiotherapy Society.

Her movie title would be Leading Heart: From Bedside to Boardroom, starring America Ferrera. And if she could be anyone? Wonder Woman — strong, compassionate, and always fighting for justice.

Her playlist includes anthems like Unstoppable by Sia, a fitting choice for a woman who helps our teams deliver acute care, outpatient services and home nursing to communities across South Africa.

Carryn James
“Make a positive impact wherever you find yourself”

Business Process Manager Carryn James started at Nurture Health as a speech-language therapist at its Newlands branch in Cape Town, before completing a Master’s degree in Public Health to better understand the healthcare system. Moving through management roles gave her a unique view of how rehabilitation equipment, acute hospitals and wellness hospitals all work together to deliver comprehensive rehabilitation care.

Read more: Why interdisciplinary rehabilitation works

“It is important for me to make a positive impact wherever I have found myself, and to do my best to ensure the people I work with are better for it,” she says.

“We have such a wealth of experience and expertise in our organisation and that has really given me hope for our future as a leading expert in physical rehabilitation in South Africa. I am enriched daily by the wealth of knowledge, skill and heart of the people in our organisation.”

The biggest challenge? Navigating an always-changing healthcare landscape.

“These constant shifts are never easy especially because, as professionals in healthcare, all we want to do is help others.”
She would love to have a conversation with the Greek philosopher Aristotle about the art of communication, and admits her colleagues tease her about her serious side — which is why she imagines Viola Davis playing her in Mission: Anything is Possible.

Read more: We take a holistic approach

This Women’s Month, we honour Nelly, Beverley, Carryn – and all the women who embody the people-first ethos of Nurture Health.

They are a reminder that leadership also happens behind the scenes, in the HR offices, boardrooms, and business support hubs that keep medical treatment running smoothly.

Because at Nurture Health, we know that when we care for our people, we can better care for our patients – and give them the hope of a better tomorrow.