A nursing life shaped by a desire for justice for all
A HARTLEPOOL man who switched army life for the NHS is celebrating 52 years of fighting for the rights of others – both as a nurse and as the UK’S longest serving activist for the Royal College of Nursing.
Gordon Lees began his career in 1970 as a 16-year-old cadet nurse and now, five decades later, serves as an RCN rep at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV).
“There have been many highlights over the years, but one that really sticks in my memory is coming out of a theatre in London and noticing a guy looking at me,” said Gordon, who is 69 this month.
“I recognised him but couldn’t place him – until he came over and introduced himself. He told me I’d saved his life and shook my hand. It was an amazing experience.”
Gordon joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in Hampshire after leaving school, with his sights set on a career as a physiotherapist. This changed, however, while carrying out weekend voluntary work in a locked ward at a nearby mental health hospital. What he witnessed would shape the rest of his career.
“Watching the way a ward of 30 men struggling with a mental health illness were treated really opened my eyes to a world of nursing in an old, institutionalised setting,” said Gordon. “It was all so regimented, with so little compassion. It made me realise how society treated people with mental health problems. I thought it was so wrong and wanted to change things.”
Aged 16, Gordon left the Army to train as a cadet nurse, with his first job being to polish the glass slides in the pathology lab at Hartlepool Hospital. He then made medical history by training as a general nurse at 18. He was one of just three men on his course, and among the first men to be trained locally.
Gordon said: “History has proven that men can provide quality care and can have a positive influence on standards of care, but back then male general nurses were quite unusual. There was a degree of prejudice at first. While training, I’d give patients routine check-ups, like temperature and pulse, and a ward sister would ask a female student to check my work.”
Gordon also witnessed, and experienced, workplace bullying during his training and afterwards, which prompted him to join the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in 1975. A year later he became a steward, helped set up a branch in Hartlepool and immediately
recruited more than 30 members.
Over the years Gordon has served at local, regional and national levels, with posts including chairman of the RCN Northern Board and chairman of the Membership Representation Committee. He also received an Award of Merit in 2016 from the RCN for his outstanding work, and today he is the union’s longest serving activist – and still going strong at TEWV.
“Like many staff side reps, I’ve responded to members queries and concerns on the phone, at home, in corridors, in clinics, wards, health centres, car parks and hospitals,” he said. “I have even given advice from a hospital bed. I’d broken both of my heels and needed surgery after jumping off a fence. The one occasion I should have sat on the fence.”
As Gordon’s involvement with the RCN evolved, so did his career. He trained as a mental health nurse at St Luke’s Hospital in Middlesbrough in 1976. Over the years, Gordon – who still lives in Hartlepool – has worked as a clinical nurse and manager of community mental health teams, as well as with a substance misuse service. He has also served as an executive committee member of New Horizons 98, a Teesside mental health charitable organisation, and on the Advisory Board of NHSE Casemix Office.
In 2006 he became one of the first staff members of the newly formed TEWV organisation. Here he has remained, despite retiring once and then returning. His daughters, Sam and Amy, now work for TEWV as nurses. Sam is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Durham CAMHS and Amy is a Senior Liaison Nurse based at North Tees Hospital.
Gordon said: “Being an activist is about leadership and taking care of those in our charge. Irrespective of our roles, the philosophy is simple – think and behave fairly and justly.”
Gordon’s commitment to his work was praised by Brent Kilmurray, the Chief Executive of TEWV, who said: “His dedication to fairness and justice for the past 52 years is something to be applauded and celebrated. Well done Gordon.”
The RCN’S Northern Regional director Sarah Dodsworth said: “Gordon has worked tirelessly for RCN members and thoroughly deserves recognition for his hard work and commitment.”
Dr Sarah Dexter-smith, director for People and Culture at TEWV, has also paid tribute to Gordon’s commitment to the NHS and improving people’s lives throughout her career. She said: “This is an incredible story of someone committing their working life to tackling injustice and inequity, and I’m so pleased that this brought Gordon into the NHS.”