One of Duchy Hospital’s much loved and longest serving members of staff retired last Friday after 28 years’ service.

Linda Beck joined Duchy Hospital in 1986 as a senior staff nurse before becoming a sister in 1991.

At City Hospital, Linda worked in the resuscitation unit, but when the hospital closed and departments were merged with those at Treliske, she decided that she would like a new challenge and applied for the job of senior staff nurse at Duchy Hospital.

“I particularly enjoyed working as part of a small team and Duchy very much had that feel about it” said Linda.

 Linda has seen many changes at Duchy Hospital over the years from new state-of-the-art operating theatres, to the introduction of new treatments and operations such as cosmetic surgery, a new Cardiac Catheter Laboratory where patients can have minor cardiac surgery, and a new Ambulatory Care Unit for day case operations.

While working full time as a sister at Duchy Hospital, Linda took her nursing diploma along with a certificate in education, so that she could teach nursing, something which she found especially rewarding.

Linda is looking forward to an active retirement walking, cycling, camping and spending time with her grandchildren, but said she will very much miss her patients and her colleagues.

A huge number of her colleagues, past and present, came to Duchy Hospital to celebrate her retirement last Friday, 8th August.