By the time you reach Week 28, you’re in the home straight of your pregnancy. Known as the third trimester, this is when your body starts preparing for the arrival of your baby.

Here, Hull’s team of midwives at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital give you advice and tips as you get ready to meet your baby for the first time.

Keeping an eye on you

You’ll see your midwife much more often now as you enter the last stage of your pregnancy.

You’ll probably be aware of a pattern developing in your baby’s movements. Your baby’s movements shouldn’t change at all and it is NOT true that babies move less at the end of pregnancy.

If you think your baby’s movements have changed, call the Antenatal Day Unit (ADU) on 01482 382729 straight away. No matter how many times this happens, you should be asked in for assessment.

Women having their first baby and those requiring increased surveillance will see the midwife at 31 to 32 weeks and then again at 34, 36, 38 and 40 weeks.

Women who have previously had children and need less monitoring will see the midwives at 32, 36, 38 and 40 weeks.

If your baby still hasn’t arrived by 40 weeks, you’ll see the midwife every week until the birth, who will then offer you a membrane “sweep” in an attempt to start labour.

When you reach 13 days overdue, it may be necessary to start your labour, known as induction. You may be offered a cervical ripening balloon or hormones depending on your individualised plan of care.

Rest when you can but keep active

Your baby is continuing to grow and you could feel really tired. When you sleep, sleep on your side because it’s safer for your baby. Pop pillows behind your back as it will encourage you to sleep on your side.

Despite feeling tired, it’s still good to keep active. Walking is a good form of exercise while pilates and yoga designed especially for pregnant women and aqua aerobics are all good ways of staying active.

Now’s the time to…

If you haven’t already, finalise your birth plan. Think carefully about what you want, chat it over with your midwife and keep an open mind as your wishes can change, even in labour.

You can claim your Maternity Allowance from 26 weeks’ pregnant, although some women prefer to work for as long as they can to save their maternity leave for after the baby is born.

It’s important to use these last few weeks to find time for yourself, so make sure to take people up on their offers of help.

What’s normal and when to seek help

While you might feel excited at the prospect of seeing your baby soon, it’s also natural to feel anxious about the birth. But in months seven, eight and nine, you’ll see your midwife more often as she checks on both you and your baby’s health so tell her how you feel.

You might have indigestion or heartburn as your baby grows and takes up more space. You could also have swelling in your face, hands or feet caused by water retention. You should mention swelling to your midwife or GP to ensure it is not linked to a potentially dangerous condition called pre-eclampsia.

Along with swelling, other signs of pre-eclampsia include high blood pressure, headaches, visual disturbances and protein in the urine. Contact your midwife as you may need to be checked over.

While itching is common in pregnancy, severe itching can be a sign of a rare liver disorder known as obstetric cholestasis. It affects 1 in 140 pregnant women and requires medical attention.

You might start to feel Braxton Hicks as you enter this late stage of pregnancy. This is when your uterus tightens, getting ready for contractions of labour. If they become more painful, longer lasting or more frequent, that’s when you need to call the hospital.

If you think your waters may have broken, it’s always worth ringing the Antenatal Day Unit on 01482 382729 for advice.

Only five per cent of babies arrive on their due date so best get your bag ready if you’re coming into Hull Women and Children’s Hospital to have your baby. Make sure you’ve got all the phone numbers of anyone you’ll need to contact programmed into your phone so you can call them when you think you’re in labour.

What about my baby?

Remember, if you notice any changes in your baby’s movements or have any concerns, contact the Antenatal Day Unit (ADU) on 01482 382729.

Your midwife will start measuring your womb and check on the position of your baby from 28 weeks. Don’t worry if your baby is not in the head down position yet – there’s still plenty of time for them to turn!

Nesting

You’ll be keen to get your home ready for the new arrival and have probably spent time picking out wallpaper, looking at cots and getting everything shipshape. Or perhaps you’re worried about the cost, wondering how you’ll manage to afford everything the glossy magazines tell you you’ll need.

Keep these tips in mind to keep your finances on track. All a baby needs is to be clean and warm. They grow really quickly so there’s no need to have dozens of outfits. In the early days, all you’ll need are six stretchy romper suits, two cardigans, four vests, a shawl or blanket, a sun hat if it’s hot or hat, gloves and socks if it’s cold.

Your baby will need somewhere safe to sleep but avoid cot bumpers, pillows or soft furnishings inside a crib, Moses basket or cot which could be a hazard. Remember it’s best to have your baby sleeping in your room for the first six months.

You can get lots of great bargains at nearly new baby fairs or NCT events. Check noticeboards or community venue websites and Facebook pages for details of sales near you.

You can also pick up some great bargains at car boot sales or from eBay. Baby equipment and clothes are rarely used long enough to get worn out so you can save yourself a fortune if money is tight.

If you’re planning to drive home from hospital or go home in a taxi, don’t forget you’ll need a suitable car seat. But don’t buy second-hand car seats as you don’t know if they’re already been damaged in an accident.

Where can I get more information?

Come along to our HEY Baby Carousel events, held on the last Wednesday of every month between 6pm and 8pm. The next event will be held on Wednesday, July 25.

You’ll get to meet our team of midwives and child care experts, find out how to stay healthy throughout pregnancy, what to expect before, during and after you give birth to your baby and how to take care of your new born in those first few weeks.

Partners are welcome to come along to find out more about the crucial role they will play and how they can look after themselves, physically and mentally, as you both adapt to life as new parents.

Women with Hull GPs can book parenting classes and get more information by visiting our new website www.hey.nhs.uk/heybaby

She holds his hand, telling him about mushrooms fried in garlic while the patient tells her about the great meals he’s had traveling the world with his job for an oil firm.

Clinical support worker Julie Williams cracks a joke but he tells her “Don’t make me laugh.”

It’s easy to understand why laughing might not be a good idea. He’s lying on an examination couch while a team in radiology carries out an ultrasound on his prostate.

Within 10 minutes, it’s all over. Sonographer Trevor Parker, working alongside advance practitioner radiographer Andy Hunter, has taken around 10 slivers of the patient’s prostate gland to test for signs of cancer.

Staff nurse Aleisha Kerry puts the samples into pots, ready to be sent to the pathology team.

Back up and dressed, the man returns to the waiting room, his smile allaying the fears of other men waiting to be called who’ve all heard horror stories about giant needles.

“It’s fine,” he tells them. “A bit of clicking and that’s it. Only one was a bit ‘ouch’ but nothing like you imagine.”

What is the prostate and what problems can develop?

The prostate is the size of a walnut and grows larger with age. It sits underneath the bladder and its main job is to make semen. However, men can experience enlarged prostate, prostatitis or prostate cancer.

Enlarged prostate is common in men over 50 and can slow down or stop the flow of urine, cause dribbling or the need to urinate more often, usually at night. Blood in urine can also be a symptom.

Younger and middle aged men aged between 30 and 50 can experience prostatitis, caused by an infection or inflammation of the prostate gland. Symptoms include problems passing urine and pain and discomfort around testicles, back passage or lower abdomen.

Prostate cancer can develop when cells start to grow in an uncontrolled way and it affects around one in eight men in the UK. The most common cancer in men, more than 47,000 new cases are diagnosed in the UK each year and it claims the lives of 11,000 men a year. However, 84 per cent of men survive cancer for 10 or more years.

Most men don’t have any symptoms at the early stage. However, changes in urination, hip, pelvis or back pain, blood in urine or semen and problems getting or keeping an erection can all be signs of prostate cancer.

My GP’s referred me for tests. Tell me about the procedures

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has two pathways for patients referred for prostate screening – standard biopsies and fusion biopsies.

In a standard biopsy, an ultrasound probe in inserted into the man’s rectum using high-frequency sound waves to create images of the prostate gland. The images guide the sonographer to areas in the gland which can be sampled and analysed for the presence of prostate cancer.

However, the images can’t distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissues and taking slithers from 10 to 12 different parts of the gland mean cancerous cells can still be missed. Some studies suggest up to 40 per cent of cancers can be misdiagnosed.

So, in 2015, the trust became one of the first in the country to introduce “fusion biopsies”. This is a far more precise way to biopsy the prostate as it fuses the ultrasound image with a previously taken MRI scan. Tumours show up as dark spots so suspicious areas can be targeted by the sonographer, healthy tissue unscathed

Results are better too. Significant and high-grade cancers are more likely to be picked up by fusion biopsies.

Pam Parker, left, and Andy Hunter

Pam Parker, ultrasound specialty manager, says fusion biopsies have been used for 280 men since the service was introduced in 2015.

“These chaps have gone to their doctors for whatever reason and have been referred to the trust with a prostate issue,” she said. “They’ve been referred to urology and will have already seen a specialty nurse or a urology consultant. And then they come to us.”

Fusion biopsies are usually reserved for men under 70 who have a better chance of surviving prostate cancer and are unlikely to have other health conditions.

“On the fusion biopsy pathway, we are more likely to pick up on significant cancers so, in younger men, it give them a better long-term outlook as appropriate treatment can be started earlier,” Andy Hunter says. “It is selected for patients with a projected life expectancy or 10 years or more.”

This means up to one third of men seen by the clinic will undergo fusion biopsies.

What will happen when I turn up at the hospital?

Although the men spend around four hours in the clinic, the actual biopsy takes around 20 minutes.

Arriving in the radiology department at Castle Hill Hospital just after 8am today, the men are seen by staff nurse Aleisha Kerry, who answers all their questions and tries hard to put their minds at ease. Some have come in with their wives, some are on their own.

They are then shown into a treatment room with clinical support worker Julie Williams and staff nurse Roslyn Fairbank. Julie has received additional training which means she can insert the cannula as Roslyn prepares the antibiotics.

With the probe going up the patient’s back passage, there’s a risk of bacterial infection so the patients receive prophylactic antibiotics to reduce the risk of septicaemia.

They know that if they experience flu-like symptoms over the next few days, they need to alert urology staff on Ward 15 immediately before heading straight in, bypassing A&E.

Roslyn checks the patient’s blood pressure once more before he is shown to the ultrasound room. The machine carrying out the ultrasound cost £18,000 and was paid for by the family of Mike Clifford, a former urology cancer patient who died in 2014.

Julie Williams, left, and Aleisha Kerry

Trevor Parker once again explains what’s going to happen and the patient signs his consent form before changing into a hospital gown. Julie Williams sits by his side, holding his hand and chatting to him all the time to take his mind off the procedure.

Andy says this vital part of the team work has a tag – “Vocal anaesthetic”.

While Trevor and Andy get on with identifying which areas require slicing, Julie and the patient chat away. Trevor tells the patient he’ll hear a loud clicking sound as the sample is taken so “don’t be alarmed”.

The patient’s voice shows no sign of worry or alarm. Instead, he keeps the conversation going with Julie and, within minutes, it’s all over.

What happens next?

Now, it’s over to pathology, where staff will test the sample and report back to the urology consultant. The aim is for the patient to get his results within two to three weeks.

You can see the relief in the patient’s face that a difficult morning is over. But he was never concerned about the standard of care he’d receive.

“I’ve worked all over,” he says. “I’ve been in hospitals or know people who have been in hospitals in Africa, America, Russia and even Korea. I know the NHS is the best in the world.”

Even better, two weeks later, he received his results. No cancer has been detected.

“It’s great news to have such a short time after having a PSA blood test,” he said. “I just need a daily pill to reduce my enlarged prostate followed by regular PSA blood tests. It makes me think more men should have PSA blood tests over 55 on a regular basis.”

She had always wanted to join the police force but her hopes were dashed when she was 16 because she reached just five foot three tall and had poor eyesight.

Instead, Liz Hembrough concentrated on finding a career that involved working with people so opted to join the NHS.

Now, 35 years after she began her training at Hull School of Nursing, Liz has just retired from the paediatric high dependency unit on the 13^th floor of Hull Royal Infirmary.

She said: “As the time came closer and closer, I started to think about how hard it would be for me to leave.

“I’ve loved my career and we have such a fantastic team here. I’ll be very sad to leave them.”

From left: Remy Toko, Tracy Butkus, Liz Hembrough, Danielle Fenty

Liz started her training on December 7, 1981, alongside Mike Wright, now the trust’s Executive Chief Nurse.

Qualifying in March 1985, Liz worked on Intensive Care for 18 months but decided she wanted to get some ward management experience and went to Ward 6, then general surgery.

She originally planned to stay just six months but ended up spending three years on the ward. However, she missed critical care nursing so joined the A&E team in November 1989.

She was there for almost 10 years until she moved into children’s A&E and it was here that she discovered a love of working with children.

She did her paediatric training in 2000, going on to complete her Registered Sick Children’s Nurse training in 2001. She remained in the paediatric emergency department until 2001 before moving up to the 13^th floor.

“It’s the things the kids say,” she said. “They just don’t get that with adults. With children, they say it how it is and I like that.

“It can be heart-breaking too but it’s just such a rewarding area to work in.”

Although Liz is moving to Scarborough, she plans to continue to work for the nursing bank for paediatrics in the seaside town, ensuring her skills remain within the NHS for some time.

However, after 35 years in the NHS, she is hoping to find more time to pursue her hobbies of salsa dancing and photography.

Members of the PHDU team held a farewell event for Liz in the school room on the 13^th floor of Hull Royal Infirmary, attended by her colleagues past and present.

Sister Anne Dalby said: “I’ve worked with Liz for 13 years and have never heard her say a bad word about anyone.

“She is very attentive to the children and families in her care and alleviates their stress at what can be an extremely difficult time.

“Liz is a valued member of the PHDU team and her experience and unique personality will be greatly missed by staff and patients alike.”

Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital staff will be getting in the party spirit when they join thousands for this year’s Hull Pride celebrations.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is inviting members of its 9,000-strong workforce to join the event as the city erupts in a rainbow of colour on Saturday, July 21.

As a silver sponsor of the event, local NHS services will also set up a marquee in the Pride Village in the city centre after the parade to promote national NHS health screening programmes, including cervical screening, breast screening, and AAA screening.

Two NHS delivery vans have also been given the rainbow treatment for the second year running and can be seen travelling between Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital.

Lucy Vere, the trust’s Head of Organisational Development, said: “This is a fantastic event and we’re so pleased to be showing our support and friendship to the Pride community.

“It’s a double celebration for us as we will also be marking the 70^th anniversary of the NHS this year.

“We really hope as many staff as possible join us for the parade. People can dress up, cover themselves in glitter or just come as they are and they won’t look out of place. It’s an event for everyone.”

The trust set up its LGBT Staff Network earlier this year to support workers of any sexual orientation or gender identity, ensuring the organisation is a welcoming place for everyone to work.

Staff will be offered up to four wristbands so family and friends can join them for the parade.

The trust will team up with Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups to promote changes to urgent care services, which now offer people a faster and more appropriate way of getting medical attention to ease the pressure on Hull’s A&E.

City Healthcare Partnership, which provides a range of health and care services across Hull and East Riding, will also be joining the NHS trusts.

Bonnie Gray, representing the LGBT Staff Network, said: “This will be the third year the trust has taken part in Hull Pride but the first since the formation of the network.

“It’s a fantastic atmosphere and it’s a great way of showing Hull is a diverse, friendly place for people of all backgrounds, cultures, identities and orientations.

“I believe the same can be said for the NHS as a place to work and to receive healthcare.”

A virus normally seen during the winter months has led to temporary ward closures at Hull Royal Infirmary in recent days.

Wards 11 and 110 have been closed to new admissions due to the winter vomiting bug, Norovirus, and further bays have been closed on ward 31 at the Queen’s Centre, Castle Hill Hospital, due to an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting.

Both hospitals are continually busy, and the unwelcome news comes as Hull Royal Infirmary saw A&E attendances top 500 in a single day last week.

In light of this unseasonal outbreak, hospital staff are now appealing for the public’s help in limiting the spread of the virus and keeping patients safe.

Greta Johnson, Lead Nurse for Infection Control at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust says:

“It’s very unusual for a virus which is normally at its most prevalent in the midst of winter to be doing the rounds in July.

“In healthy people, Norovirus can be unpleasant but is generally quite mild, with symptoms such as sickness and diarrhoea lasting for a couple of days. For patients in hospital however, many of whom will already be weak or susceptible to infection, Norovirus can be much more serious.

“In order to limit the spread of the virus, we have temporarily closed two of our wards to new admissions, and staff are doing a great job in containing it, but we also need the public to play their part.”

Bugs such as Norovirus often originate in the community and can spread quickly when a number of people spend time in close proximity, such as in schools or on a hospital ward.

“As a temporary measure, in order to try and prevent further spread of the virus, we are asking people only to visit Wards 11 and 110 at this time if absolutely necessary, because Norovirus can be passed on so easily,” Greta continues.

“People who have had symptoms can remain infectious for up to two days after the symptoms have gone, so we would ask patients, visitors and staff who have experienced diarrhoea or vomiting to stay away from hospital until they have been symptom-free for 48 hours to help minimise the spread of the virus to others.”

Anyone experiencing sickness, vomiting or diarrhoea should not come to hospital but should seek advice first from their local pharmacy, or telephone their local GP or NHS 111. Attending the GP surgery or Emergency Department is strongly discouraged as this risks spreading the illness to other people who may already have weakened immune systems.

Regular, thorough handwashing, especially after using the toilet, can also help to reduce the risk of viruses being passed on to others.

Stories of A&E departments under pressure have become commonplace during the winter months but staff at Hull Royal Infirmary have seen record numbers of patients in the first week of July.

Over 500 people attended Hull Royal Infirmary’s A&E on Monday 2^nd July, many with illnesses and conditions that should have been seen and treated at their local urgent care centre, GP, pharmacy or minor injuries unit. Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust which manages Hull Royal Infirmary is urging people to stay away from A&E unless they have a serious illness or emergency medical condition and warning that the increase in minor attendances is putting lives at risk.

In February, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reported that people had been turning up at Hull Royal Infirmary’s A&E department to ask emergency staff to remove acrylic nails, provide second opinions and manage chronic problems already under the care of specialist team. Others have turned up in the department with simple viral stomach upsets, running the risk of spreading the bug throughout the hospital. We would advise these patients to take rehydration supplements and anti-diarrhoeal available from any pharmacy.

Dr Jacquie Smithson, medical director for medicine at the trust, said: “We are seeing far too many people in our A&E department who should have been seen and treated elsewhere. The staff working in our emergency department must be free to deal with people facing life-threatening emergencies. By attending A&E with complaints that could be seen outside of hospital it is diverting our medical teams away from patients who require more urgent care and treatment.

“We are trying our best to cope with the demand we have seen this week and we are asking for the public’s help to ensure our staff are there to help those most in need of our attention by using alternative services if they do not have a medical emergency.”

The Trust launched an advertising campaign “A&E: It’s Serious Stuff” to urge the public to use alternative health services such as their GP, pharmacies, minor injuries units and the urgent care centres at Bransholme, Beverley, Bridlington and Goole.

Leaving school this summer? If you think working in the NHS is only for nurses and doctors, it’s time to reconsider your options.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is helping young people aged 16 to 24 find out more about the 322 different careers on offer in the health service.

The trust running Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital has set up three projects to give young people from different backgrounds an insight into opportunities in the NHS.

Rachael Pearce, the trust’s Senior Patient Experience and Engagement Officer, leads the Young Volunteers scheme, the Young Health Champions and the Pathway to Medicine scheme.

She said: “The NHS has so much more to offer young people. Young people are surprised when they find out about the fantastic opportunities available to them right here on their doorsteps.

“We can help anyone, from any background, and these schemes are about giving them that introduction and insight into careers they may not have considered in the past for whatever reason.”

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has helped 260 school-leavers as part of its “Young Volunteers” programme since it was set up three years ago.

Many young people have since taken up apprenticeships at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital or have gone into other health-related careers.

The programme, which pays young people travelling expenses as they gain vital work experience, has attracted national attention since it was launched three years ago and has now been introduced by other hospitals around the country.

A further 50 people aged 16 to 24 have also been signed up as Young Health Champions as part of a project reaching out to young people with depression, anxiety, social issues or conditions such as autism and ADHD.

Provided with a daily £3 lunch voucher and travel expenses, the young people attend a work placement three days a week in their chosen field in the hospital and go into a classroom setting to improve their skills in English, maths and IT one day a week.

They also spend a further day learning techniques to improve communication skills, team-working or motivation.

The Pathway to Medicine course supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the desire and ability to train as doctors.

Rachael Pearce said: “Many of these young people are more than capable of going to university to study medicine but it may be a path they have not been encouraged to take.

“We can show them their ambitions can become a reality and can provide that vital support in the early stages to help them take those first steps towards achieving their goals.”

Anyone interested in taking part in any of the three schemes should contact Rachael Pearce on 01482 675189 rachael.pearce@hey.nhs.uk or Lynn Jickells 01482 674668 lynne.jickells@hey.nhs.uk

Hospital staff have been chosen to sing at a prestigious national celebration to mark the 70^th anniversary of the NHS next week.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust NHS Choir will open the ceremony at York Minster, attended by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, on Thursday with their rendition of Adele’s Make You Feel My Love.

Trust web developer Bonnie Gray, one of the choir’s founding members, said: “It is a massive honour for the choir to be part of such a wonderful occasion.

“This is something we will never forget and we’re so proud to fly the flag for Hull and for the trust.”

National services will be held at Westminster Abbey and York Minster for around 3,000 NHS staff working for organisations around the country, alongside representatives of charities, local authorities and organisations with close ties to the health service.

Singer Linda Nolan, currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, will host the concert at York Minster.

She will be joined by 15-year-old Eve Senior, a survivor of the Manchester terror attack who wants to become a nurse, and Amen Dhesi, who became a carer at 13 for his dad who has bipolar disorder.

Hull’s choir was founded in 2014 as a way of combining staff’s passion for singing with their passion for the NHS. It was set up as a health and wellbeing project, with no auditions necessary before members were allowed to join.

Today, the choir has more than 50 members working in almost every area of Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, including midwives, nurses, doctors, radiographers, biomedical scientists, office staff and occupational therapists.

Lucy Vere, Head of Organisational Development and another founding member of the choir, said: “Our choir is so proud to be part of the NHS and every time they sing, you can see their passion for what they do.

“We’re also so honoured to represent our trust and our city. To be part of the NHS’s 70^th celebrations is just the icing on the cake.”

Celebrations to mark the special anniversary will be held up and down the country, with thousands expected to attend a Health Expo at the Double Tree by Hilton from 10am to 4pm.

Seventy years of innovation in the NHS, with uniforms, artefacts and old photographs dating back through the decades on display until 7pm.

A tea party for long-serving members of staff who have contributed to the health and wellbeing of people will also be part of the event, running from 10am to 4pm.

People interested in working in the NHS will be able to find out about jobs in all different areas of the health service at a careers fair at Double Tree by Hilton.

Health Expo has been organised by the trust, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, City Health Care Partnership, Hull Clinical Commissioning Group and East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Allam Medical Building at the University of Hull will be one of dozens of landmark buildings to light up blue on Thursday evening to mark the anniversary. The gardens at Hull Royal Infirmary, the York Minster, the Blackpool Tower, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the London Eye and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will also be lit blue.

Professor Julie Jomeen, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Hull, said: “To shine a light on this special day on the Allam Medical Building is a fitting way to pay tribute to our outstanding graduates – midwives, nurses, operating department practitioners, clinical psychologists, social workers and doctors – already working for the NHS

“It also celebrates the birth of one of the world’s most incredible organisations, the NHS, as it marks 70 years of providing healthcare for all.”

They were little girls when the NHS was created, offering universal health care to everyone whether they could afford it or not.

Today, Pat Watts, now 77, and Janet Harley, 76, pull on their striped uniforms two nights a week to work as midwifery assistants at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital.

Pat, a mum of two from Beverley with four grandchildren and one great grandchild and another on the way, said:  “I can’t imagine not doing this because it’s been part of my life for so long.

“When people see me, they don’t ask me how I am. Nowadays, the first thing they say is ‘Are you still here?’

“My husband does mention to me from time to time about retiring. But that’s because he has to drive me to work so it means he wants to watch the cricket or go swimming.”

Janet, who has two children and two grandchildren, said: “I reduced my hours from 30 to 20 a couple of years ago with views of trying to wean myself off work. But I’m still here.

“It has been a privilege to work for the NHS all these years. I’ve seen so many changes but I’m still smiling.”

Pat (above left) was born in 1941 and became a nursing cadet at Beverley Westwood. She started nursing training at 18 but it halted when she married husband John a year later.

She worked as an auxiliary until her first daughter Sharon was born in 1962. Pat wanted to return to the Westwood after Sharon was born but there were no vacancies so she went to work instead at a local hospital in Brandesburton.

Pat Watts, when she started her training

She had second daughter Deborah in 1965 and returned to the Westwood Hospital in 1966, working nightshift on the wards.

She transferred to the Cottage Hospital annexe, looking after women on gynaecology wards and working alongside a night sister.

The introduction of the State Enrolled Nurse changed the tasks of an auxiliary. Pat was moved back to the Westwood when the annexe was closed and joined the maternity team.

When maternity services moved from Beverley, Pat transferred to Castle Hill as a midwifery assistant, supporting women in the labour and postnatal wards.

Pat worked in the Jubilee Birth Centre, supporting midwives to look after women and training in baby massage before the centre closed in 2012.

She then transferred to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital and now works two nights a week on Maple Ward, the antenatal ward for women requiring additional care or who are due to be induced, and Rowan Ward, which looks after women after their babies are born.

Pat supports the midwives and medical staff looking after the women, helps the women through the night and is a vital support to the younger, less experienced staff who can rely on Pat’s vast knowledge.

“I’ve done all my NVQs,” said Pat. “I know it’s important to keep up with my training online.

“I just really like looking after the women and their partners. This is such a friendly team and it’s really nice to be part of it.”

Janet (above right) started her orthopaedic training at Bridge of Earn Hospital in Scotland and, even as a student nurse, took charge of a busy Nightingale ward at night, with the night sisters visiting twice or three times a night to check all was well.

She married husband Robert, who was in the forces, and they moved south, with Janet joining maternity services at a cottage hospital in Aldershot and then Frimley Park Hospital in Hampshire.

Robert got a posting in Yorkshire and Janet visited Beverley Westwood Hospital to see about a job.

Janet Harley, earlier in her career

“I got an interview and was asked by Matron if I could start that night as they were short of staff on the baby care unit,” she said.

Janet moved to Castle Hill Hospital and worked on the special care baby unit and on the labour and delivery ward before transferring to the new Hull Women and Children’s Hospital in 2003.

She worked on the labour and delivery ward for 14 years before moving to Maple Ward and cut her hours back last year, working just two night shifts a week.

“I still continue to do labour ward, theatres and work in the midwifery-led unit and I keep myself up-to-date with all the study days and online training,” she said.

“I enjoy the teamwork. I was asked many times over the years if I wanted to do my midwifery training but my priorities then were my two children and childcare was difficult in those days.

“I’ve been on nights for 59 years now and they fit well into my lifestyle.

“People call me the ‘lovely little lady’. I always say I was six foot when I started nursing, now I’m down to four foot nothing.”