Our NHS Stories: A lifetime in nursing in the NHS

 As we mark 75 years of the NHS, we’re looking back on the history and achievements of the national health service and the opportunities that lie ahead to shape the next 75 years. The NHS has been a constant presence throughout all our lives and at the heart of everything is its staff and volunteers. We’re sharing a story from Tina, Professional Lead in the Newark and Sherwood Healthy Family Team who has clocked up 50 years’ service in the NHS.

Tina is in final years of her career and chose to work beyond usual retirement time. She says she loves her job working in the community and says she feels a very lucky and honoured person to have been able to work closely with patients and now her staff team – a team of brilliant and positive, caring people, who give their all to work to make a difference to families and children. Tina says, “I will be sad to leave it all behind, but time never stands still.”

Tina Durrani, Professional Service Lead

Read Tina’s story

“My journey through my NHS career which led eventually to working in the community is long, 50 years, and began accidentally whilst looking through the job vacancies in the local paper. I had been working for a few years as an office girl, secretary, insurance clerk, wages clerk, then had two children in a short time which was my first experience of the NHS.

“I was in awe of the midwives and was transfixed watching them work in the ward, making the beds look tidy with military precision, having a super fixed routine of when we, the patients were ‘allowed’ to do anything, I knew then that going back to typing and adding up figures would never be for me again.

“It was mid December 1972, and I rang the number inviting people to train as a nurse, remembering the midwives. A Mrs Grainger invited me to come in for an interview the next day which was more of a long chat than an interview. I commenced training as a Registered General Nurse (RGN) in January 1973, Mrs. Granger said that students for RGN could go further in their careers than if I chose to be a Pupil Nurse training for SEN nurse role. I was ambitious so grabbed the chance with an eye to the future, my entrance mode would not be replicated in future years. The NHS was desperate to recruit nurses that year, what a lucky chance for me.

“I loved my three years nurse training. There were some very difficult times with things like childcare, and I overslept for a night shift once. My feet had never been so painful, I was given responsibilities, along with other student colleagues that would never be allowed today, but I thrived, I loved the challenges, caring for very ill people, doing things I had never considered myself to be capable of, intimate, personal care and holding the hand of a dying patient. These are situations that are normal routine for nurses, how proud we should be of our acute nursing care colleagues, such a courageous and compassionate role.

“I stayed in the hospital environment for a long time, becoming a Sister in the Operating Theatre. Then after having yet another child who turned out to be a child I had to be with, I transferred to a post on nights, working for many years in emergency operating theatre, helping in A & E and helping the hospital night Sisters when I was not busy in theatres. I decided to try community work when one night I realised that I needed more than the fleeting relationship with patients that was theatres and A & E.

Tina Durrani as Operating Theatre Sister 1985

“I completed health visitor training and took up a position of health visitor in a GP surgery base with three colleagues. I had a ‘baptism of fire’ when the colleagues all left very quickly for other opportunities, leaving me wondering if I had done the right thing. I soon realised that it was giving me a great deal of satisfaction, being ‘in charge’. I loved the client contact and I felt that working closely with vulnerable families I was able to make a difference. It was a privilege to be taken into their confidence and having an insight into their lives. I worked hard, many hours unpaid overtime, managed to get everything done, perhaps not as well as I would have liked, but it got done. Colleagues were recruited and then I saw an opportunity to become a team leader in the community, still being able to work with families as a health visitor but also having the added responsibility of line managing a team.

“I look back now and can’t imagine how I actually did everything, it was challenging, fast moving and a fantastic learning curve but I absolutely knew I had found my perfect job.

“I have stayed in the community setting for many years, many changes, both strategically and clinically, reorganised several times, losing my client contact, being a full-time team leader, supporting, supervising and line managing a team of health visitors and school nurses and their supporting skill mix staff. Over the years I have been very privileged to support my team, help them over some major changes, learn how to do change management properly, with compassion, and more recently getting through the Covid period with all the challenges, especially to keep the team cohesive and uplifted.

“I am in the final time of my career now, I chose to work beyond usual retirement time as I love my job working in the community, I can honestly say I feel I have been a very lucky and honoured person to have been able to work closely with patients and then staff, my staff are now my caseload. They are a team of brilliant and positive, caring people who give their all to make a difference to families and children. I will be sad to leave it all behind, but time never stands still.

“Anyone considering where they can have complete job satisfaction and want to be able to look forward to many opportunities in their career, they should be looking at working in the community. I am so glad I decided to make that phone call all those years ago to become a nurse but also that I took the chance to work in the community. Thank you to the wonderful NHS, community patients and staff.

Find out more about our adult community services: https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/adult-community-services-integrated-care-team 

For further information about careers in the NHS Working in health | Health Careers