Welsh nurse celebrates 50 years service in the NHS

For some people, 50 years is a lifetime. For Teresa Neate, a highly respected nurse and loving grandmother, it means celebrating an incredible milestone having achieved half a century of service with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Teresa’s career began with nursing training on December 17,1975 at University Hospital Llandough.

As the years progressed, she took on a variety of roles including senior nurse and practice educator, all while supporting patients and families with her unwavering dedication.

“Nursing is not just a job, it’s a vocation and it’s in my blood,” she said. “So many members of my family before me were nurses, and two of my daughters are continuing the tradition having joined the medical profession.

“For me, being a nurse is all about making a difference in someone’s life and being there when things get difficult. People and their family look to you as a nurse in those moments.

“Everybody’s different but the job satisfaction that you get out of making a difference in someone’s life, you just can’t put it into words.”

Teresa’s years of hard work and dedication to the nursing profession have not gone unnoticed.

She was recognised for her contributions to the profession with the Queen Mother Outstanding Service award, followed by an MBE for services to nursing in 2011.

She said: “Receiving those awards were some of the proudest moments of my life. I can still remember getting the letter from the Cabinet Office saying I was shortlisted for the MBE, and even now I can’t quite believe it.

“I don’t talk about them much because I’d hate for people to think I was being boastful, but to be honest they would have to be the culmination of my nursing career.”

Reflecting on her 50 years in the NHS, Teresa described being a nurse in Cardiff and Vale as “an incredible experience.”

“It’s been challenging at times, and I’ve given a lot of myself to the role over the years, but I’ve received so much in return. It has brought lifelong friendships, helped shape my life with experiences I could never have imagined and led to some of my
proudest moments.

“Making a difference in someone’s life is such a privilege, and I’m so glad that I was able to do that for the past 50 years.”