Scarborough Hospital nurse serves 40 years

A long serving nurse, whose pioneering work in critical care has helped some of the most poorly patients at Scarborough Hospital, has retired after 40 years in the NHS. 

Janet Temple, critical care outreach nurse at Scarborough Hospital, arrived suitcase in hand in 1974 to train as a student nurse and has worked there ever since. After gaining an award as top student for her year Janet trained in general nursing and then went on to focus on caring for the most critically ill. During these years healthcare was rapidly changing and Janet was one of the first nurses in the country to specialise as a critical care outreach nurse.

Janet said: “I’ve always felt it was more than just a job and I have enjoyed the experience of continually learning new skills and keeping up to date with the latest advances in healthcare. Caring for the most critically ill is very challenging but it’s important to offer the best patient care possible, the care you would want to see for your own relatives.”

Not only has Janet’s experience proved invaluable to patients, she has also passed on her skills in critical care to ward staff and postgraduate trainees.

Staff Nurse Cath Carter said: “Janet is a well loved member of staff and will be sorely missed. She has helped shape the direction of critical care at Scarborough Hospital by introducing new and groundbreaking care that helps save the lives of very poorly patients. We wish her a long and happy retirement but we are sorry to see her go!”

After 40 years of caring for others Janet is looking forward to a bit more time to herself, seeing a bit more of her family and doing some travelling.

10 July 2014