Uckfield’s ‘golden nurse’ Jane is set to retire after 50 years of NHS service

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust made the announcement about Jane Field, saying she currently works for them as a Community Learning Disability Nurse.

They said Jane completed the Cadet Nursing Scheme at Crawley College in 1974 and started Learning Disability Nurse training in 1976. She has worked within Learning Disabilities since she was 16 years old.

Matt Box, Community Learning Disability Matron at Sussex Partnership, said: “Throughout her career Jane has always placed the people she has worked with at the centre of her care, and been a strong advocate for people with learning disabilities. This hasn't always been easy, with historically the rights of people with learning disabilities not always being recognised. Her knowledge, experience and sense of fun has been an inspiration and a joy to all those she has worked for and with.”

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After her training Jane became a Charge Nurse and went on to manage NHS residential bungalows in Horsham for people with learning disabilities. She later joined Sussex Partnership.

Last year, on Wednesday, July 5, Jane was one of 1,500 NHS staff invited to Westminster Abbey to celebrate the NHS’s 75th birthday. Jane said she felt privileged to represent the Trust, calling the NHS ‘the best institution in the world’.

Sussex Partnership said Jane’s son Nic has ‘followed in her footsteps’ by training as a Registered Mental Health Nurse. Nic is now a Service Manager in Haywards Heath at Sussex Partnership.

Sussex Partnership provides specialist mental health, learning disability, and neurodevelopmental services in the county. Visit www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk to find out more.

Jane Padmore, chief executive officer for Sussex Partnership, said: “I would like to thank Jane for her outstanding long-service and contribution to the NHS. As a Registered Mental Health Nurse myself, I have the utmost respect for the dedication that Jane has shown to her profession, and to the many people that she has supported over the years. On behalf of Sussex Partnership, I would like to extend my thanks and well wishes for a very happy and restful retirement.”