\n Living in the nurses’ home and starting my training was both exciting and daunting, but I quickly found a supportive environment where colleagues shared their knowledge and experience.\n<\/p>\n
\n That sense of belonging has stayed with me throughout my career.\n<\/p>\n
\n Half a century of caring being recognised for Lorraine. (Image: Northumbria Healthcare)\n<\/p>\n
\n Healthcare has changed enormously over the last five decades.\n<\/p>\n
\n Advances in technology, treatments and diagnostics have transformed how we care for patients, while digital systems have made information much more accessible.\n<\/p>\n
\n Nursing has evolved too.\n<\/p>\n
\n What was once a more task-focused role is now a highly skilled profession, with nurses playing a crucial role in decision-making, treatment planning and patient care.\n<\/p>\n
\n The growth of specialist nursing and nurse prescribing has opened up new opportunities and responsibilities.\n<\/p>\n
\n At the same time, healthcare has become far more centred around the individual.\n<\/p>\n
\n Patients now have a much greater voice in decisions about their care, and supporting people to make informed choices is a fundamental part of modern nursing.\n<\/p>\n
\n One of the greatest privileges of working in Hexham and serving this community has been caring for generations of local families.\n<\/p>\n
\n Over the years, I have supported patients at some of the most important moments in their lives and, in many cases, gone on to care for their children and grandchildren.\n<\/p>\n
\n That continuity of care is something truly\n<\/p>\n
\n special and reflects the unique role that Hexham General Hospital plays within the local community.\n<\/p>\n
\n Like the NHS itself, my career has seen its share of challenges.\n<\/p>\n
\n Through every change, what has stood out most is the dedication, compassion and resilience of the people I have worked alongside.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Covid-19 pandemic was a powerful example of that, with colleagues across the NHS showing extraordinary commitment during unprecedented circumstances.\n<\/p>\n
\n Recently, I had the opportunity to celebrate 50 years in nursing.\n<\/p>\n
\n It was a milestone that allowed me to reflect not only on my career, but also on the support of my family, whose encouragement has been invaluable throughout the journey.\n<\/p>\n
\n People often ask what has kept me motivated for so long.\n<\/p>\n
\n The answer is that nursing never stands still.\n<\/p>\n
\n There is always something new to learn, a challenge to overcome or an opportunity to grow.\n<\/p>\n
\n As I look ahead, I am excited to see how the profession continues to evolve.\n<\/p>\n
\n Above all, I hope the NHS remains at the heart of our communities for generations to come.\n<\/p>\n
\n Technology will continue to advance, but the true strength of the NHS will always be its people.\n<\/p>\n
\n That is as true today as it was on my very first day at Hexham General Hospital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I decided to become a nurse, I hoped for a career that would allow me to care…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":820206,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-820205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=820205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/820206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=820205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=820205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=820205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}