Nurse celebrates 50 years working in care

Jane Morgan has worked in various roles in care and nursing since she was a teenager

A nurse is celebrating working in the care industry for half a century.

Jane Morgan, 66, reached the milestone at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry, where she has worked for the last nine years.

Her colleagues organised a surprise gathering, complete with a cake to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

“It was all I ever wanted to do from when I was little. I’m not stopping just yet, the plan is that I will retire in two more years," she said.

"The job has changed a lot over the years," she said, "the patients used to stay in bed longer and you really had time to get to know them."

"That was nice, but it’s different now, and it is better for them that they can get home sooner."

Ms Morgan began nursing as a cadet at Wrexham’s Maelor Hospital in September 1974.

She moved to the RJAH four years later, spending 18 months working on the spinal injuries unit.

She also worked at Chirk Hospital and Nightingale House, a hospice in Wrexham.

The majority of her career was spent as a community nurse in and around the Ruabon area, and as a community sister in Oswestry for a decade.

She now works in the RJAH main outpatients department.

"Getting my nursing degree and then getting my masters were probably two of my personal highlights and achievements I can look back on with pride," said Ms Morgan.

RJAH chief executive Stacey Keegan said the hospital was fortunate to have her.

"I congratulate her on reaching 50 years of nursing, and I am delighted that we get to keep her for a little longer yet."