Teesside healthcare professional who started as Hartlepool nursing cadet celebrates 50 years NHS service
A dedicated healthcare professional who began her career in Hartlepool is celebrating an incredible 50 years of service in the NHS.
Janet Alderton, started as a cadet nurse in a canary-yellow uniform fresh out of school at Hartlepool General Hospital in September 1976.
Over the last 50 years her career has spanned nursing, midwifery and patient safety.
She now holds the senior position of associate director of patient safety at University Hospital Tees, in Stockton.
Janet began her NHS journey on 5 September 1976, before training at Hartlepool Nursing School and qualifying as a state registered nurse in 1981.
After working in emergency care and trauma and orthopaedics at the former St Hilda's Hospital, she chose to pursue a career in midwifery.
Over the following decades, Janet has worked across maternity services, including the special care baby unit, before becoming involved in risk management and patient safety work.
Supporting compliance with maternity standards evolved for Janet into a lifelong passion for improving patient safety and learning from patient experiences.
Alongside her clinical career, Janet completed qualifications to become a supervisor of midwives and gained a postgraduate certificate in quality and improvement.
Since 2005, she has held patient safety leadership roles. Reflecting on her rewarding career, Janet said: “I am passionate about getting things right the first time for our patients and looking for ways to help them stay safe in our care.
“It is such a feeling of success when improvements identified through learning are implemented and we can see a positive impact.
“I love working with colleagues across both trusts who are as passionate as I am about patient safety and quality.
"I nearly joined the Navy as a nurse, but looking back at the last 50 years, working in the NHS and seeing it develop has been an honour and I wouldn't change a thing."
Janet’s colleagues gathered to celebrate the milestone, where gastroenterology consultant Deepak Dwarakanath presented her with gifts and a card.
Her golden anniversary came as healthcare organisations across the world marked World Patient Safety Day highlighting the importance of keeping patients safe and continually improving care.