Willow Wood bids farewell to retiring nurse after 25 years

One of the Hospice’s longest-serving staff members has retired after 25 years of being part of the Willow Wood family. 

Janet Breslin has been with the Hospice almost from the very beginning of our journey, joining in August 1999 – around a month before the Inpatient Unit (IPU) opened.

Staff and volunteers from all departments gathered to say a fond farewell and thank you on her final working day on Wednesday (31st July), which brought the curtain down on a career in nursing spanning over 45 years.

Janet started her training in 1976 in Stafford before registering as a psychiatric nurse in 1979. Two years later, she registered as a general nurse after completing her training and has stayed in that field ever since.

She has worked as a district nurse and had previous experience of working in a hospice at St Ann’s for 10 years, before taking up a role as a sister on our IPU.

“The first few weeks were getting ready for the ward opening, making sure we had all the equipment we needed and getting documentation ready,” Janet explained.

“Most of the staff had been appointed by then and we had a team building week before the IPU opened which went very well. We were blessed to have a mixed team – including people from The Christie and several other hospices with different ideas.”

Janet expanded her skillset at Willow Wood by working in several different roles, most recently as Wellbeing Team Leader.

“I worked on the IPU for over 20 years. From there, a triage role was developed, it was a one-year secondment so I worked with the specialist palliative care nurses and clinical admin team to triage all of the referrals that came into the Hospice and specialist nurses, so the role was to contact people, get a background history and find the right care for patients.

“Following that role, I joined the Wellbeing team to help with the development of services, which I have done for just over two years up to my retirement.”

Unsurprisingly, she has seen a myriad of changes at the Hospice as the services available to patients from Tameside and Glossop with any life-limiting illness have evolved.

This has included the appointment of occupational therapists and a clinical educator; the development of the complementary therapy team, medical team and dementia support; and the increase in counselling available through the family support team.

Indeed, there are various achievements that Janet will look back upon with immense pride.

“I am certainly very proud to have been part of the Hospice from the very start, involved in setting up the services, and making a difference to people’s lives through my work,” she reflected.

“In 2016, I was thrilled to represent Willow Wood at an event to celebrate the work that hospices do at the Speaker’s House in the House of Commons. It was a special occasion and I met Baroness Finlay of Llandaff and Dr Sarah Wollaston MP.

“In 2017, I was very proud that myself and Wendy Irons received a Dignity in Care award for collaborative working with the palliative respite team to enable a young lady to have her wishes granted.

“Also in 2018, the Inpatient Unit was shortlisted from around 400 recommendations for the Greater Manchester Care Awards in the category ‘People’s champion’ for outstanding commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of others. It was brilliant and I felt so proud of the team for what was a big achievement.”

Janet hopes to volunteer in healthcare locally and stay connected with the Hospice, but there are aspects of her job she will dearly miss.

“I will miss the people who I have worked,” she said. “I have enjoyed supporting and developing staff and volunteers, and working with the student nurses in helping with their development – it was a big part of my role which I really enjoyed.

“The team I have worked with in Wellbeing are fantastic. I will certainly miss the contact with patients and making a difference to their lives which is what it’s all about. I will still stay in touch with the Hospice, Willow Wood has been a big part of my life for 25 years.”

As she begins a new chapter in her life, Janet plans to make the most of her free time – including following her beloved Manchester City Football Club at home and abroad.

“I might have the opportunity to go to more European matches now,” she said. “I’ve got some holidays already booked to places I want to see.

“I will go out for lunches with my friends and catch up with old colleagues. I’ve been thinking about getting a dog so more walks too. Last year I started going to a pottery class which I’ll continue going to.

“It will seem strange at first having time to do all these things. The fact I will no longer be in nursing will leave a void, it’s part of my identity.”

Everyone at Willow Wood thanks Janet for her long service and wishes her a happy and healthy retirement.

She has also expressed her gratitude to the Hospice for supporting her over the years.

“Thank you to the teams that I have worked with for the support they have given me and the commitment to the work they do. I’m thankful to be blessed to have worked with some amazing people at Willow Wood and thank you to the management for believing in my abilities.

“When I went to Wellbeing, it was so new to me but Nicola [Cheetham], our Clinical Director, gave me that belief and support to be able to do that. It was a challenge that I embraced and have enjoyed.

“Thank you to all of our volunteers, I have worked with some amazing people. They support us and we support them.”