Heartbeat: Joy Haywood retires after almost 40 years
September 14, 2018
Joy pictured at her retirement party, organised by her colleagues in paediatrics
Paediatric Ward Manager, Joy Haywood will be retiring after over 39 years with the NHS.
Joy started her career at St Margaret’s Hospital in Great Barr, until she was able to start her nurse training at 17 years old. She trained at what was then known as Dudley Road Hospital in 1980 – Joy attended the school of nursing which was situated where D41 and D42 are now.
Joy undertook children’s nurse training in Stoke-On-Trent in 1984 before returning to Dudley Road, where she progressed from staff nurse, to a sister and then to a clinical nurse specialist.
After a brief return to adult nursing, Joy realised her heart lay with paediatrics and managed the moving of the seven day surgical ward to the day-case unit in the Birmingham Treatment Centre.
She retires from a position where she is responsible for looking after children’s outpatients and the surgery/medical day units across site.
Heartbeat caught up with Joy to get an insight into her last 39 years at our organisation and to find out more about her plans for retirement.
HB: What are the biggest challenges you have faced while working here?
JH: The challenges of all the health reorganisation under different governments, and the decisions where paediatrics would be. Building a great team who go cross site and maintain great standards, with the changing services during the merges and re-configuration.
HB: If you hadn’t have worked for the Trust, what would you have done instead?
JH: I would still been a nurse somewhere I think.
HB: What career advice would you give to your young self?
JH: Go for it, it’s been a challenge to be a nurse over my entire career. But well worth it with the patients and staff that you meet along your way.
HB: Any special plans now that you are leaving?
JH: Just to enjoy shorter days and spend time with my family. I plan on going to do some traveling as well as decorate my house from top to bottom and may do a little bank work.