Chrissie Johnston, Site Matron, retired at the start of July after an incredible 45 years of NHS Service, bringing and end toa career dedicated to caring for patients and supporting colleagues.
Having dreamed of becoming a nurse from a young age, Chrissie began her nurse training at Peterborough District Hospital through an on-the-job training programme. Her training involved rotating between 16-week ward placements and periods of study at the School of Nursing over three years, before qualifying as a Registered General Nurse in 1984.
After qualifying, Chrissie joined The QEH as a Staff Nurse on Leverington Ward before moving into medicine on Marham Ward in 1988.
One of the defining moments of Chrissie’s career came in 2007 when she became the Trust’s Lead Nurse for Hospital at Night, playing a key role in establishing the new service.
The innovative service brought together medical teams and specialist nurses to provide safe, effective out-of-hours care, handle routine ward tasks and improve patient safety overnight. As the Hospital at Night service evolved in partnership with the clinical site team, Chrissie took on the role of Site Matron in 2015 and has continued in this role ever since.
Looking back at her career, Chrissie highlighted two particularly memorable moments: winning the Trust’s Clinical Team of the Year Award at the staff awards and supporting her colleague and friend Roger Fisher as he was discharged from hospital following a lengthy battle with COVID-19.
Reflecting on the many changes she has witnessed throughout her career, Chrissie said advances such as keyhole surgery, CT scanning and modern endoscopy have transformed patient care and significantly improved outcomes. As she prepares to retire, Chrissie encouraged the next generation of nurses to never lose sight of the fundamentals and to always remember that patient care comes first.
Chrissie said: “Never forget the basics and always remember who you’re doing it for – the patient.
“Teamwork has kept me in this job and I couldn’t have done it without my colleagues and friends. The QEH is a small but great hospital. We’re one family and we always look out for each other.”
In retirement, Chrissie is looking forward to spending more time with her family, celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary with a special holiday, enjoying time with her grandson and exploring the UK in her caravan.
Lyn Jones, Clinical Nurse Educator/Specialist Midwife is also retiring at the end of this month after an amazing 48-years of NHS service.
Lyn began her NHS career in 1978, aged 18, as a cleaner at Napsbury Hospital before quickly moving into nursing as an Auxiliary Nurse. She later qualified as a Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) and worked at Napsbury Hospital.
After becoming a mum Lyn felt inspired to explore a career as a midwife and undertook an advanced nursing programme to convert from a RMN to a Registered General Nurse in 1986 before qualifying as a midwife in 1990.
She went on to dedicate more than three decades to caring for families at Peterborough City Hospital before retiring and returning in 2015.
During her time at Peterborough City Hospital, Lyn was instrumental in supporting internationally educated midwives with their Observed Structured Clinical Examinations to gain NMC registration.
In 2023, Lyn moved to The QEH to continue this work as part of the Practice development team.
Reflecting on her career, Lyn said that one of the most rewarding aspects of her work has been supporting and developing the next generation of nurses and midwives.
Most recently, she nominated student midwife Nancy Williams-Eley for a National Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to maternity care. Nancy went on to win the prestigious award in May, the first award of its kind and one of the highest honours for student midwives.
Lyn said: “I couldn’t have been prouder.”
Lyn also spent eight years teaching at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), helping to shape the future workforce. Supporting students to develop their skills and confidence has been a highlight of her career.
Sharing her advice for future nurses and midwives, Lyn said: “Never lose your passion and always remember why you started, regardless of how the landscape changes.”
Retirement won’t mean slowing down for Lyn. Alongside her NHS career, she qualified as a holistic therapist and plans to continue supporting expectant mothers through pregnancy yoga and hypnobirthing classes. While their careers have followed different paths, both Chrissie and Lyn leave behind an extraordinary legacy of care, compassion and dedication spanning more than four decades.
Dawn Collins, Chief Nurse at The QEH, said: “Chrissie and Lyn have dedicated their working lives to caring for others and have made an immeasurable contribution to our hospital, our patients and their colleagues. Their professionalism, kindness and commitment have left a lasting mark on The QEH and they will both be greatly missed.
“On behalf of everyone at The QEH, I would like to thank them for their remarkable service and wish them every happiness in their retirement.”
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