There was a bumper turnout to say farewell to Senior Charge Nurse Ann Myles who retired after 37 years with the NHS. Celebrating with her was her husband Stephen, who also retired recently as a Staff Nurse in Urology. Between them the couple have given a total of 77 years to the health service.
Ann started training in 1980. Once this was completed and desperate to find a permanent first job, staff told her there was a letter on the notice board. Excited to find out where she was going her hopes were dashed – it was from Stephen to ask her on a date! They have now been married 31 years.
After giving birth to two sons, Ann returned to the Medical Intensive Care Unit, where she stayed for four and a half years before becoming an acting charge nurse and then moving to Day Hospital in 1997 where she has been ever since.
Ann’s whirlwind of ideas and initiatives included helping the new ReACH team settle into the day hospital, a secondment on nutritional screening, designing the new Rehabilitation Centre and, on the move to Forth Valley Royal Hospital, helping set up the new discharge lounge.
More recently, she has been developing the Frailty Clinic, looking at patient flow and assisting with the management of various departments including neurology, rheumatology, dermatology, day medicine, endoscopy and the rehab unit.
Ann and her husband are now going to work on a home extension and go on a cruise. As one colleague remarked: “As C S Lewis puts it, you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”. Perhaps a better quote for all of us in healthcare is ‘Retired. Goodbye tension, hello pension!”
