Seventeen members of staff at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) have been celebrated for accumulating a combined 510 years of service in the NHS.

Each of the staff members have given at least 30 years of service to the NHS and this week that was marked at a special thanksgiving ceremony at RJAH.

The year was 1987. Then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher won a third term in office, it was the year of Black Monday when the stock market fell by 22 per cent over two days in October and Michael Jackson released the album ‘Bad’. But it was also the same time our staff were entering their careers in the NHS.

To thank staff for their dedication, Chief Executive of the Oswestry-based hospital Mark Brandreth and David Gilbert, Non-Executive Director, presented them with certificates and vouchers.

Staff who received the award included Claire Bassie, Angela Berry, Sumeeta Conry, Susan Davies, Suzanne Davies, Heather Edwards, Denise Evans, Dominic Harrison, Jane Herbert, Sally Leppanen, Amanda Matthews, Alison Meadows, Ian Meredith, Christine Noble, Bev Tabernacle, Julie Vaughan and Sally Whittall.

Mark said: “It really was a real privilege to have 510 years of experience in one room, that’s a fantastic achievement and one that must be celebrated.

“These wonderful people have dedicated 30 years to the NHS and what’s really special is seven of these staff members have spent their entire career at RJAH.

“On behalf of the Executive Team here but also on behalf of the NHS, I’d like to thank each and every one of these members of staff for their commitment to caring for our patients.”

Heather Edwards, Business Co-ordinator, has worked at The Trust for 31 years.

She said: “The years have just flown by. I started here as a shorthand typist on Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries (MCSI), then I became Professor Wagih El Masri’s PA, before ending up in my current role.

“I’ve seen many changes over the years but the biggest one for us Secretaries was that back then we used to actually go on the ward rounds and to clinics where we had the patient’s notes dictated to us there and then but that doesn’t happen anymore.

“One thing that’s hasn’t changed though is the world-class care provided to patients here, MCSI and RJAH as a whole is a truly special place. I feel privileged to have spent the last 31 years of my working life on MCSI at RJAH.”