After 54 years, nurse Issy finally takes her finger off the pulse
WHEN she first started training as a nurse, Harold Wilson was prime minister and bills were paid in pounds, shillings and pence.
But after 54 years caring for others – with the past three decades on night shift – Issy Jackson is finally retiring from Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Mrs Jackson, 72, has worked at the hospital since 1966 in operating theatres and the emergency department.
She said: ‘It really is a very special place. I’ve never wanted to work anywhere else.
‘I never cease to be amazed at the skill of the surgeons, and the team working and camaraderie is second to none. I can honestly say I have learned something new every day.’
Mrs Jackson spent the first few months of the pandemic selfisolating but has been back at work since August.
She said: ‘I am a theatre nurse and you need to be fit and very quick on your feet. I feel it’s time for me to retire as I’m slowing down a bit – I am 72, after all.
‘I must have walked thousands of miles round the Royal over the years. In theatre you need to be quick to respond, so yes, it is time for me to take a break now.’
She added: ‘ Being on night shifts, there’s no elective work going on, but emergencies continue. It can be fractures, injuries from road accidents, appendicitis or even complete haemorrhage. All the unexpected procedures.
‘I always knew that’s where I wanted to be. I felt I could give more to emergency work. When you think about it, the patient going for planned surgery has time to prepare, time to think.
‘But the emergency patient is home or in the car one minute and the next they are with us, undergoing some emergency procedure and that’s scary. I really feel for that type of patient and decided to spend my career helping them in any way I could.
‘The other great thing about working in emergency theatres is you have a fresh “inbox” every day and you literally have no idea what you are coming in to.’
Working in emergency theatres also brings its challenges and Mrs Jackson says it can be tough.
She said: ‘I’ve been on duty during some major incidents, such as the airport bombing and in 1990 when a man went on a shooting spree. Some of the work is heartbreaking and never leaves you.’
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s north director Isobel Neil said: ‘What an amazing career Issy has had here and she will be truly missed.
‘Issy is well known here for being a font of knowledge of all things Glasgow Royal Infirmary theatres and can tell great stories. She also has a wicked sense of humour and is tremendously kind.
‘I want to sincerely thank her for her incredible dedication and wish her a long, healthy and happy retirement.’