My NHS75 Story - Angela Reece

My NHS story- Angela Reece

People have shared their wonderful memories of the NHS over the last 75 years to help celebrate the NHS's 75th Birthday

Angela shares her NHS story

Angela Reece, Children Looked After Nurse, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, is part of Glastonbury Festival celebration event. She shares her NHS memories. Angela started her nursing career in 1985, as a student nurse in London after working in an old people’s home and finding she loved the work.

I’ve now worked in the NHS for 38 years, and my career has taken me from a general nurse to a Midwife to a Health Visitor and Specialist Community Public Health Nurse to the current role that I work at as a Children Looked After Nurse. My nursing qualification has also allowed me to travel, and I spent a year in Australia and worked at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney.

I’ve worked for Somerset Partnership Foundation Trust since 1996 as a community midwife and became part of a community, providing antenatal midwifery services linked to a GP surgery. It was a very happy time and I have many fantastic memories of delivering babies in houses, in fields and for the travelling community.

I decided in 2021 to reduce my hours, become semi-retired, but continue to work in the NHS.

I now work part time in my role as a children looked after nurse team lead. This has allowed me time to follow my passions for travel, exercise, art class, learning to play the piano, dog boarding for friends and generally enjoying this time of my life. I know that I am happy and blessed in my life and as a result of the career I chose.

A descendant of the Windrush Generation

Angela is also a direct descendent from the Windrush Generation and recollects her memories.

Angela’s dad Daniel (pictured above with mum Mary) was 24 years old, when he left Jamaica in 1960 as part of the Windrush Generation.

Her mum was already pregnant with their third child, and she remain behind in Jamaica until Daniel could work and save enough money for his family to join him in England. He was determined to reunite his family.

“The story of my parents’ journey mirrors the same as many migrants from Jamaica to the UK in the early 1960s, it is not unique. I see my parents as extremely hard-working people with such great strength of character loyalty and integrity. They went through so much to be able to provide better future which they planned in the 1950s. It was never easy for them.

“After adding to the UK society and economy , my parents returned to Jamaica in 1993. Sadly, Dad died in July 2021. However, he did enjoy a long and relatively healthy retirement back in Jamaica.

“I am so proud of them.” Says Angela.

Mary and Daniel Duharty, 1962