Long-serving nurse Tracey Noakes has clocked up an amazing 41 years service in the NHS – but retirement is not in her plans.
The 60-year-old from the Wirral in Cheshire, is currently a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the James Paget, where she has spent more than 30 years in a number of roles.
Tracey’s nursing journey started in the summer of 1983 when she started three years of training at the Wirral School of Nursing in Cheshire.
Her career choice was inspired by her mum, who trained to be a nurse in the early 1970s. “I can remember her telling me stories about what she had done during the day, and I thought ‘I would love to do that.’”
Once qualified, Tracey got a post as a staff nurse at Rotherham District General Hospital – but was soon looking to progress her career.
“I wanted to go to a modern, new hospital – and I scoured the Nursing Times each week for vacancies. Then I saw a staff nurse post at the James Paget in Norfolk. I knew where Norfolk was on the map but nothing else about the county. However, I mentioned it to a patient who spent his holidays at nearby Hopton and he said: ‘you’ll love it there’ – and he was right!”
Tracey applied for the role, was successful and arrived in Gorleston on 1st November 1987, settling into a flat in the residences opposite the hospital – and immediately making friends during her induction.
Her role on the orthopaedic ward was the start of her Paget journey which has since included several years on a general surgical ward; managing the Charnwood Suite and a five-year stint as a complaints investigator.
She was also instrumental in setting up the James Paget’s surgical pre-assessment clinic, to help reduce last-minute cancellations due to patients not being fit for surgery. “I am very proud of that, as it has really made a difference,” she said.
Her job at the hospital is now as a Clinical Nurse Specialist for upper gastrointestinal cancer – and, after more than 40 years of caring for patients, she still gets a buzz from coming into work.
“It’s really friendly here and, because it is a relatively small hospital, you get to know more people – it’s a lovely place to work. There are lots of opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills, and there is a wide variety of roles for clinical staff to move into.
“Nursing is hard work - and what I have learnt over the years is that, the harder you work, the more you get out of it. If you stay focussed on your patients, and are committed to ensuring they get the best care, it can be so rewarding,” she said.
Tracey now has two grandchildren and is looking forward to spending more time with them and the rest of her family – but isn’t planning to hang up her nurse’s uniform any time soon.
“There’s a new hospital coming – that’s really exciting,” she said. “And with construction planned to start in just a couple of years, I might just stay on to see it open!”
