Clinical Coordinator and Senior Midwife, Janett Sneddon, has retired after more than 51 years of NHS service.
Janett started her nurse training at the tender age of 18 at the former Bangour Village Hospital in West Lothian. She explained: “I always wanted to be a midwife but back then you had to train as a nurse first, so I did that and then did my midwifery training to become a qualified midwife.”
However, despite a strong desire to work as a midwife, Janett’s early experience wasn’t plain sailing as she initially only worked in midwifery for three months before going back to general nursing.
She then moved to Leicester, initially just for 6 months but ended up staying for 6 years after she rekindled her interest in midwifery.
Janett then moved back to Scotland in 1988 to take up post as an antenatal ward sister at Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary where she was responsible for early pregnancy services and day care clinics.
When maternity services were centralised at Stirling Royal Infirmary, Janett moved across to take up post as the Clinical Coordinator for outpatient services before moving to the Women and Children’s Unit at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in 2011.
Janett also took on the role as the Royal College of Midwives staff-side representative for NHS Forth Valley where she worked with other union representatives to move from a negotiating committee to a partnership working approach.
Reflecting on her long NHS career, Janett said she has enjoyed it due to the colleagues she has worked with and the patients she has supported over many years. One of the biggest changes Janett has seen and welcomed is the change in attitudes and support available for women who have experienced a miscarriage or still birth.
She explained: “In the past there wasn’t a lot of support but now there are memorial services, gardens of remembrance and women can also spend time with their baby and access bereavement support which is really important.”
Although Janett doesn’t have any immediate plans for her retirement, she is looking forward to spending more time with friends and having the flexibility and freedom to meet up for coffees or lunch during the week.
She also says she will miss colleagues but will think of them regularly, particularly on her birthday which takes place on International Day of the Midwife – an appropriate coincidence!
