Nurse Angela Anderson celebrated a major milestone this week, reaching 40 years of service in the NHS. Angela, who is the Director of Nursing for Physical Health at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust, has spent an impressive four decades caring for patients.
“As a child, all I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a nurse” explained Angela.
Angela grew up in a small town in the west of Ireland and, in 1985, left her home to embark on nursing training at Epsom District Hospital with twelve other hopefuls.
“We built strong relationships and were there for each other, not only to help with our studies but also when we were homesick.”
“In the first six weeks, we learned the theory and the practical skills needed to care for patients. If I remember rightly, we even used oranges to practise our injection techniques!”
Angela later moved to Westminster, London, and specialised in looking after children in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
“I was always very aware when caring for a young patient it’s not just the patient themselves you must care for- it’s the whole family. This is where I had my first real exposure to working in the community alongside a health visitor in some of the contrasting richest and most deprived areas of London.”
In 1991, Angela moved from London to Basingstoke, where she joined the integrated acute community paediatric team and was responsible for developing a day service that aimed to support children who needed short term care.
“The service was the first of its kind and aimed to minimise a child’s time spent in hospital. I worked with such inspirational colleagues and most importantly the unit was named after a young person we had cared for on the ward and whose family helped to raise funds to support the development, it was (and still is) called Charlie’s Day Unit.”
During the next twenty years, Angela witnessed significant changes to nursing in the political world and experienced one of her proudest moments in her career in 2018.
“I was invited to celebrate the NHS turning 70 years old. It was such an honour as a nurse to represent my profession and the contribution that nursing has made—delivering care, showing compassion, and positively influencing the lives of so many.”
The NHS birthday celebrations were quickly followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Angela played a pivotal role alongside her colleagues in delivering the COVID-19 vaccination programme as part of Solent NHS Trust.
“As a senior nurse in the organisation, I was in awe of all my colleagues. The way we broke down barriers and boundaries to come together to support each other and our communities.”
“I consider myself privileged to have had the opportunity to care for people at the most vulnerable times of their lives, to celebrate their recovery, to be there at their darkest moments, and to hold their hand when taking their last breath. I am so very proud to be a nurse.”
with an NHS Long Service badge.
Angela celebrated her impressive achievement surrounded by her colleagues. Stephanie Bridger, Chief Nurse for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare, awarded her with a prestigious 40-year NHS Long Service Badge.
Stephanie Bridger, Chief Nurse for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, commented:
“Angela exemplifies all the qualities and values that make the nursing profession so great. She has worked tirelessly to provide and improve the quality of care to patients and their families. She is a committed and professional person, and it is an amazing achievement to reach this milestone in her career. I am immensely proud of her and what she represents.”
Congratulations Angela!