Nurse of more than 50 years receives award recognition
A nurse at one of Shropshire’s acute hospitals has been presented with the Cavell Star Award for the expertise and care she has given to patients over the years.
Doreen Bates who has been a nurse for more than 53 years works in general outpatient clinics at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) part of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).
She was presented with the Cavell Star Award by Louise Barnett, chief executive, and Hayley Flavell, director of nursing.
Doreen recently celebrated her 71st birthday and will be retiring at the end of August.
Hayley said: “Whilst we would want to wish her all the best, there is no doubt the trust will lose a very experienced professional who is very well known and loved within the hospital.
"Doreen has a warm smile and a cheerful persona, and we will miss her.
“After such a long and dedicated career if feels right to honour Doreen with the Cavell Star Award, and it gives me great pleasure to make the presentation.”
Doreen said: “It has been a pleasure to work in the NHS and each day has never been the same. I love nursing and to receive this award is such a shock – you do not know what this means to me.
“I am so proud of this hospital and everybody in it.”
An inspiring national awards programme, Cavell Star Awards are given to nurses, midwives, nursing associates and healthcare assistants who show exceptional care to their colleagues, their patients and patients’ families.
She was nominated by Rachel Armstrong, head of non-medical education, for the positive impact she has had on patients over many years at RSH.
Doreen started as a pupil nurse at Royal Shrewsbury Infirmary and later took a break of seven years to raise a family and travelled the country with her husband at the time who was a Royal Navy submariner.
She came back to Shrewsbury to help out as a nurse during the flu pandemic in the seventies and worked around Shropshire.
Doreen spent the latter part of her career on the Stroke and Rehabilitation unit at RSH, where she looked after and supported many hundreds of patients and their families and carers with expertise and care.
When she retired from this post she returned as a bank nurse, working in general outpatient clinics.
During her career, Doreen formed a friendship with a Trinidadian nurse who came to the UK in the seventies, and she went on to visit Trinidad 11 times.
She managed to get home from her last visit just before air travel was stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She now plans to spend her retirement travelling and spending more time with her family, including her six grandchildren and one great grandson.
