40 years helping people of Warwickshire - nurse retires after 40 years
A NURSE, who has retired after more than four decades with the NHS, says it’s been “a privilege” to be part of people’s lives.
Heidi Williams is a familiar face to many after eight years as the practice community nurse at Hastings House medical centre in Wellesbourne.
Before that, she spent 25 years as a district nurse and midwife in Shipston, including at the Ellen Badger.
Her early nursing training was at Nuneaton Hospital in the early 1980s and she spent time in hospital nursing and midwifery, before going back to school to study to study for a nursing degree when she was in her early 40s.
Other places she’s been based as a nurse include the old Warneford Hospital in Leamington until it closed in the mid-1990s, when she moved to Warwick.
Heidi, who’ll be 61 in June and lives in Wellesbourne with carpenter husband Richard, 63, spent a decade as a midwife in Shipston and has delivered hundreds of babies.
She loves watching BBC TV’s Call the Midwife and says the life-and-death dramatic scenes in the popular series are realistic.
“Things can change very quickly – one minute everything’s under control and all the signs are good but then things can change, so you have to be ready,” she said.
She added: “The birth of a baby is a very private, special moment.”
She’s also worked with the charity Shipston Home Nurses in end-of-life care.
“They allow people to die at home and it was a privilege to be with my patients at the end and to be with the families, and to be able to support them in those last moments,” she said.
Speaking about patients struggling to come to terms with bad news or terminal diagnosis, she added: “Communication is important – some people want to talk, some people don’t, so you need empathy and good listening skills.
“It’s also really important to be able to rely on and trust the team you’re working with.”
She’s seen huge changes during 40 years of nursing and says staff shortages and the fact people are living longer with more complex health conditions has put more strain on the NHS.
But she pointed out: “In South Warwickshire, I’ve been proud to be part of the good care we can give people at home.”
She’s looking forward to spending more time with her two adult children and three grandchildren who are aged three years, five months, and four months, as all live nearby.
First, the whole family plan to spend a week in Devon to celebrate Heidi and Richard’s ruby wedding anniversary.
Longer term, Heidi has plans to travel, including a world cruise.
Looking back over her own working life, she says she’d highly recommend nursing as a career.
“It’s given me a good living, I’ve been able to bring up a family and have a home,” she pointed out.
“It’s very fulfilling, challenging and even scary at times, when you have to make split-second decisions.
“You never knew what was going to change your day, but it was never dull.
“Richard and I joke our children were brought up on beans on toast, as I was never home on time.”
She added: “I’ve been really happy at Hastings House working with such lovely, caring people and I’d like to thank everybody there for their support, as well as all the lovely people I’ve nursed and worked with over the years.”