York nurse to retire – after a staggering 50-year career
Nurse Liz Davis is retiring after a staggering 50 years in the NHS.
Liz started as a pre-nursing student, aged just 16 years old. She went on to do her formal nurse training in 1975, before going on to become a staff nurse in 1993.
This, she said, “made everything much more exciting!”
Since those early days she has seen some tremendous changes. She recalls how as a student nurse she had to buy her own uniform and wasn’t allowed to speak to the doctors.
“We had to polish bed pans and vomit bowls in the sluice and, if we gained a brownie point, we could progress to folding linen in the linen cupboard. God help us if Sister found out we’d done it wrong!”
As one of the so called ‘Blair’s Babes’ she says she then found her niche, working in one of the new Walk-In Centres in York. There she was able to offer a complete package of care for patients, as part of a bigger team.
This work led to more opportunities and it was then she met a very young Dr David Hartley, working for York Medical Group practice, and Prof Mike Holmes, which led to her Nimbuscare days.
Working as a vaccinator during the pandemic took her career in a different direction. “I saw true team work – there was some amazing work being done at Askham Bar and we had a very valuable role to play, sometimes vaccinating up to 4,000 people in one day.”
Since then Liz, from Tadcaster, has worked for the extended access service, the CAT Hub (children’s treatment hub), and various other Nimbuscare services.
“I’ve had a fabulous career and have been in a privileged position of working with so many wonderful people,” said Liz. “I would do my career over again without a doubt,” she added.
She explained there were so many moments of her time as a nurse which she remembers fondly, but one that sticks in her mind is when she had to call one of the GPs, Dr Hartley, in to see one of her patients.
“With no hesitation whatsoever, he got down on his knees and took the patient’s hand to have a long conversation with them. It was a privilege to witness such care and I’ll take that moment with me forever. David and I then went for a coffee and both shed some tears,” said Liz.
“It’s all about being a team and here at Nimbuscare we have such a great team. Everyone is so warm and friendly – it’s going to be hard to stop working here. I’ve met so many amazing people and I’ve loved everything about it,” she said.
Liz says she’s going to start her well-earned retirement with a holiday in Australia and New Zealand. After that she will be enjoying a break and spending more time with her five grandchildren.
Prof Mike Holmes, chair of Nimbuscare, said: “On behalf of everyone, I would like to personally thank Liz for her tireless dedication and for all she has done for her patients and the healthcare community in our region.”