Publish date: 16 November 2023
Northumbria family share their unique story in celebration of Northumbria Healthcare’s 25th Anniversary
As Northumbria Healthcare celebrates its 25th Anniversary as an NHS trust, staff nurse, Nicola Dale and her two children share a special story of their combined experience of almost 40 years working within the trust.
In 1998, the year Northumbria Healthcare was formed, Nicola Dale gave birth to her daughter, Frances, at North Tyneside General Hospital. At the time, little did she realise, not only was she adding to her family, she was also adding to the future workforce of Northumbria.
Only one year later, she welcomed her son, Mathew and 25 years on, both Nicola and her two children now work for the trust.
Nicola started her nursing journey in 1989, working between Preston Hospital and North Tyneside General Hospital while training.
After moving away and marrying, Nicola and her husband returned to their hometown, North Shields to start their family.
She said: “My daughter Frances was born on July 3rd 1998, the same year when Northumbria Healthcare became an NHS Trust. I’ll never forget, she was delivered by an amazing midwife, Dot Wood.
“The following year, my son Mathew was born, again at North Tyneside. At the time, my mam Lesley Harrison was a midwife on the post-natal unit, where she worked until she retired in 2002, so it was wonderful to have her there too.”
After having her two children, Nicola returned to the trust in 2000. Fast-forward to 2017 and Mathew joined the trust as a business administrator apprentice and Frances joined in 2020 as a pharmacy assistant.
Talking about her unique experience, Nicola, who now works as a staff nurse on the surgical day unit at North Tyneside, said: “I’ve built my career here at Northumbria, and it’s been wonderful. I’m very proud to work here, but I’m even more proud that my family are here as well. It means so much to have both of my children working in the trust with me and that we’ve all followed in my Mam’s footsteps by working here.”
Reflecting on his journey with the trust, Mathew said: “My family working here played a massive role in me joining the trust.
“When I left school, I didn’t really know what to do, so my mam mentioned that the trust was offering apprenticeships. After some thinking, I left college to join the trust and I’ve never looked back.
“I started as a business admin apprentice in January 2017, but now I’m an end user computer analyst. In my role I mainly fix IT problems and get involved in the occasional IT project. I love being able to interact with different people across the trust.
“I’m very proud and happy to work in this trust. I mainly cover North Tyneside and it feels really special to work at the same hospital where I was born, and where my mam and grandma have worked. I always end up bumping into my Mam at work.”
In 2020, Frances also started working at North tyneside, as a pharmacy assistant. From a young age Frances aspired to work in the NHS, after being inspired by her mother and grandmother.
Reflecting on her ambitions, Frances said: “Although nursing was always my goal, university just wasn’t right for me, so my mam told me to look at Northumbria NHS jobs to see if there were any other roles I fancied. I had no clue just how many different roles there were.
“Pharmacy really stood out to me because it’s a role where you can make a difference to a patient’s experience without being patient-facing. The week before the national lockdown I had my interview and thankfully I was successful.”
Frances’ role consists of ensuring that all hospital sites, sexual health clinics, district nurses, and dental clinics within the trust are fully stocked with the medication they need.
Talking about her role, Frances said: “We’re only a small team within the pharmacy unit but we’re like a family. We have helped each other through so much whether it be illnesses, family losses, or the pandemic.
“Although my role isn’t that well-known, it has a massive impact on patient experience and how each ward runs. I may not work in the same type of role as my mother or grandmother, but I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to follow in their footsteps by working in the same trust, and hospital.
Media contact:
Jesse Ngonyama, marketing assistant apprentice