120 not out! More than a century of nursing work celebrated at the RUH

Cast your mind back to 1996 – the national turmoil caused by Take That announcing they are splitting up, Trainspotting is released in cinemas, the Spice Girls release their debut single Wannabe and England hosts Euro 96.

Meanwhile, in Bath a new group of trainee nurses are starting their careers at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.

Four of the remaining 'Class of '96' met this week to each celebrate an incredible 30 years of working at the Trust and to look back on their time at the hospital.

The quartet were Dana Di.Iulio, Infection Prevention and Control Nurse; Jackie Robinson, Senior Sister in the Urology department; Toni Salamon, Lead Surgical Nurse Practitioner and Nadine Geary, Recovery Nurse.

The four were all part of the same set when they carried out their training more than 30 years ago at the RUH. They all took a Common Foundation in Nursing Programme, before moving on to their specialist areas.

So what is the biggest change they've seen at the RUH during their career?

"Technology definitely", said Jackie. "It's come such a long way and has improved the care we can provide to our patients and helped the staff too."

Dana added: "The size of the hospital too. It's grown a lot over the years and we now look after more patients than ever before."

They all agreed that that the Covid pandemic had been the most challenging period of their careers.

"We saw things that we'd never seen before," said Nadine. "It was a really tough time both emotionally and physically."

Dana added: "Working in Infection Prevention meant that a lot of people came to us for advice, so keeping on top of all the latest guidance was a real challenge."

"For me, the hardest thing was seeing how it affected our patients' relatives and loved ones, who couldn't visit our wards in person," said Jackie.

Toni said: "Although it was a really tough time, the camaraderie between all the staff was incredible. We all came together to support and look out for each other."

After 30 years at the RUH, what is the appeal of continuing to work at the hospital?

Toni said: "It's the people. It's such a friendly place, it really is a pleasure to work here."

"It really does feel like a family," said Jackie. "Everyone says hello when you're walking down the corridor. The location of the hospital is good too – Bath is a lovely city and we're lucky to have so much green space around the hospital."

Nadine said: "There are also lots of opportunities to further your career – you really don't need to look anywhere else."

"There really is something special about this place," added Dana. "I can't imagine working anywhere else."

ENDS

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