A team support is saying goodbye to her work family, as she retires following 13 years looking after some of our sickest patients in Stockton-On-Tees.
Ann Burton, who also celebrated her 70th birthday in February, came to work in healthcare later in her career. After two years working in the Trust as an agency worker, she found the drive she needed to become a permanent staff member, as part of the Trust’s critical care team.
Working within the Trust’s ITU unit, Ann finally fulfilled a lifelong ambition to work within healthcare. She had always wanted to be a nurse, or to work with patients and to feel she was directly making a difference to their care.
Ann got to see some of the highs and lows of working through the pandemic and shared her admiration for her colleagues. Praising how everyone came together to work as a close knit, family unit to support one another and their patients during a very challenging time.
Ann said: “I found I slotted into the team really well right from the beginning and certainly the past 10 years have flown by – I really don’t know where the time has gone.
“It’s been so rewarding getting to come into work every day to do something I love and am so passionate about, and to work with some amazing colleagues during my time here.”
No intention to sit still
Ann decided that 70 was a ‘nice round number’ and wanted to retire while she was still in good health. She is looking forward to outings with her daughter, gardening, catching up on some crochet projects and has a trip to Benidorm to look forward to. As she retires, she has no intention to sit still.
Ann continued: “I want to thank everyone I’ve worked with over the years – my extended family – for their support, their laughter and their chats in between doing such an important job. I’ll miss the everyday hum of the ward and getting to see my colleagues and our patients every day. But I look forward to keeping in touch and getting to catch up with them all soon.”
The critical care team celebrated Ann’s retirement with some well-deserved sweet treats, shared their happy memories and said their goodbyes. Ann will be missed by her colleagues, as a valued member of the team.
