THREE generations of the same Coventry family who all went on to become nurses were celebrating twice last week as they toasted the NHS’s 75th birthday and their 81 years of collective service.
Rebecca Hill, her mother Jane and her grandmother Pat Kerley all trained to be a nurse in Coventry and have worked in the city for their entire careers.
When she was four, Rebecca used to draw pictures of wanting to follow in her family’s footsteps and become a nurse.
She is now a ward manager at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust.
“Nursing was something I always wanted to do, I never thought about doing anything else,” she said.
“What we do is a privilege and that’s why you go into this profession because you want to be able to help people.
“It’s constantly changing and evolving and what nurses can do and the care and treatments we can give is developing all the time.”
Jane, who is a Clinical Director in Community Services at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, said being able to support patients at difficult times in their lives was very special.
She added: “The latter years have seen the biggest change with technology and IT systems, along with the development of drugs and therapies improving outcomes for patients.
“There are also different levels of staff doing different jobs. There are many more opportunities and varied roles.
“People are also living so much longer now and with co-morbidities, illnesses they previously wouldn’t have survived. It’s not unusual to care for people well into their 90s.”
Pat, who retired 23 years ago, added: “My first ward had 18 patients, and when people came into the hospital, they weren’t discharged the next day or a couple of days later- nine times out of ten they were in for much longer.
“I’m very proud that Jane and Rebecca have followed the same path as me.”
