An award-winning Trust nurse is this month celebrating five decades of caring for patients across the North East – at the same time as the NHS commemorates its 75th anniversary.
Maureen Longstaff has dedicated her life to helping others – retiring in 2015, only to return weeks later to continue management of the ECT service, based at Roseberry Park Hospital.
“It has been a privilege to be part of the NHS and involved in the changes and improvements in the care provided. It has come a long, long way since I first started,” she said.
NHS is a family tradition
While two of her sisters, a brother-in-law and her future husband all trained in general nursing, Maureen was drawn to mental health care for reasons she cannot fully explain.
She started her career as a nurse cadet at Winterton Hospital, Sedgefield, in July 1973 – a month after her 16th birthday and just as the NHS turned 25.
Her first job was in the work room, where one of her tasks was pairing off mountains of socks for the male patients. Other duties involved turning old counterpanes into protective clothing, as well as making soft toys with the patients and helping at the on-site hairdressers.
“When I became a ward sister on an elderly care ward, I always made sure the ladies I looked after had their hair set. It’s a skill that, rarely practiced, I still have to this day,” she said.
Following in family footsteps
Maureen, who was born in Bishop Auckland, became a nursing assistant at Winterton when she was 18, before training as a registered mental health nurse.
Once qualified, she worked as a staff nurse – but a year later she opted to follow in the family footsteps and train as a general nurse.
“After passing my finals I had a fleeting fancy to become a midwife, which quickly passed when I felt the pull to come back into mental health. It was where I wanted to be,” she said.
“I returned to Winterton in 1981 and was promoted to a ward sister, initially covering annual leave for other ward sisters /charge nurses. I later moved to an elderly care ward, then became a night sister for ten years.”
Maureen married in 1977 – to a fellow nurse – and went on to have two children in the 1980s. By working nights, she was able to juggle childcare with her NHS duties.
Guiding light in achieving high standards
Once her children were older, Maureen switched to working day shifts on long-stay wards and, in 1998, she moved to St Luke’s Hospital in Middlesbrough as a ward sister in adult acute care.
In 1999 she took on the additional post of managing what is now Durham, Tees Valley and Forensic ECT service, helping to steer it through five accreditations and advocating for improvements in patient care. It is a role she still holds to this day.
“I know I have had an influence over the service, and where it is today, and I want to continue helping it achieve the highest standards,” she said.
Maureen moved to the inpatient rehab service at St Luke’s in about 2002 – while still managing the ECT service – and became a modern matron in 2004.
“I really did enjoy the work, and by becoming a modern matron it meant I could have more influence over the care we provided for people,” she said.
Maureen played a key role in taking the rehab service off-site and opening new facilities at Phoenix Lodge and Park House – the forerunner to Lustrum Vale specialist recovery unit.
“It was a big project, but I’ve been lucky and worked with really good staff, who care for the service and want to get it just right,” she said.
National award for pioneering work
In 2013 Maureen moved on to investigating complaints from staff, patients, and carers – ensuring people knew she took each and every complaint seriously and investigated all thoroughly.
She then took early retirement in 2015, after four decades of service to the NHS, but returned soon after to continue management of the ECT service.
And she took on a further challenge in 2019 – when she was part of a small group which travelled to Malawi to support a mental health hospital as a special project.
“It was a very humbling experience to witness first-hand how much can be achieved with so little,” she recalls.
Maureen’s dedication to the development of ECT was recognised nationally in June, when she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Lead ECT Nurses.
Looking to the future
Despite her long service to the NHS, however, Maureen has no plans to retire just yet.
“Helping to influence care, and continually improve our services, is at the forefront of all I do. When you see people get better, it is one of the best parts of the job,” she said.
“It is amazing to think I’ve put in 50 years with the NHS, it’s a long time. There comes a point when its right to hand over the reins to someone else, but there is still work I want to do.”
