NHS 75: Emma's 25 Years' Service

For the NHS 75th birthday, we are celebrating the hard work and commitment of NHS staff - as well as encourage more people to work for the NHS.

With inspiring colleagues across all three of our hospital sites and within the community teams, we hear from Emma who has worked for the NHS for 25 years. Here is Emma's story...

I have worked for the NHS since February 1998 when I started as a staff nurse at Pontefract General Infirmary, I worked on an elderly medical ward for the first 6 years of my career. The work was hard however I loved every minute of my years at Pontefract.

I moved into community in August 2004 and started at Middlestown Health Centre as a community staff nurse, my District Nurse was Iris Peach and those who remember Iris will know she is a real character.

The change from secondary to primary care was so different and I knew on my first day that I would love it. I feel that it’s a real privilege to be invited into someone’s home to care for them. This was a totally different aspect of patient care for myself, and it has never been without its challenges, seeing how people live and the different dynamics, takes some real problem-solving skills and close working with patients, relatives, and carers and this is why I love community care so much. We have developed community services to be able to meet the needs of the patient.

I think that we have exciting times ahead with the further development of community care services and the future integration.