Carol-Anne’s Nurse of the Year award

A Glenboig-raised nurse has been honoured with a prestigious accolade.

Carol-Anne McDade, 47, who leads the district nursing team in Helensburgh and Lomond, was crowned nurse of the year at the Argyll and Bute area’s inaugural Nursing Excellence Awards.

The mum-of-two, who now lives in Helensburgh with her husband Bill and two sons Will, 18, and Max, 14, was“totally shocked” to be nominated.

Carol-Anne’s proud parents, Andy and Esther Robertson, were delighted to be in the audience to see their daughter receive her trophy at a glittering ceremony in Inveraray.

Esther told the Advertiser:“I’m so proud of Carol-Anne because initially she didn’t want to go into nursing.

“She started as a student nurse when she was only 18, and took to it like a duck to water.

“She was so taken aback to be nominated for the award as she doesn’t like any pomp or publicity.”

Carol-Anne is a former pupil of Our Lady and St Joseph’s Primary and St Patrick’s High.

She has been the dedicated leader of an 18-strong team of the Helensburgh and Lomond area’s district nursing service for the past four years, and previously spent 23 years as a district nursing sister in Clydebank.

A delighted Carol-Anne said:“I was shocked to be nominated because there are more than 800 nurses in Argyll and Bute and I didn’t expect it.

“I don’t see myself as being anything special, I just keep my head down and get on with the job.”

She continued:“I didn’t even know that I had been nominated. My manager hadn’t told me beforehand.

“When I found out that I had won the award, I was so surprised. It’s nice to be recognised for the work I’ve done.”

Carol-Anne added:“I came into nursing when I was 18, but I didn’t think that was what I wanted to do. When I left school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

“From the minute I started I just really loved it. It’s so varied and you meet such a variety of people on a day-to-day basis - we deal with all sorts of issues - I thoroughly enjoy my job.”

Carol-Anne McDade