Gateshead NHS dementia nurse retires after 40 years of service

Christine Fawcett, a dementia nurse practitioner retires after 40 years of service at Gateshead Health NHS Trust.

Chris started her career in Gateshead as a student nurse and once qualified, she began her career working within a number of wards, but her passion has always been for caring for older patients, especially those with dementia. 

Having worked as a ward manager on the elderly ward for a number of years, she inspired many and continued to look to introduce new ways of working.

Chris introduced and developed training dedicated to caring for patients with dementia and delirium in line with Health Education England. This training ensures staff members are equipped to care for patients as well as making sure the Trust is a dementia friendly environment.

Other accomplishments include working with John’s campaign to allow relatives to have open access visiting to their loved ones. Although this was a challenge during covid, she worked hard to make sure that the ward adapted to the new restrictions and the care planning included patients and relatives.

There have been many other achievements during Chris’s career which included working with nutrition nurses to improve mealtimes and also working with QE Facilities and QE Charitable Funds to create a dementia garden for patients and relatives to spend time away from the ward environment.

Dementia nurse practitioner, Julia Nevin said, “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Chris over the years, and she has been an inspiration and huge support to many staff throughout her career. She has without a doubt enhanced the lives of many people with dementia and their families in Gateshead.”

Her commitment and dedication to Gateshead is outstanding. Thank you Chris for all of your hard work and we look forward to welcoming you back part-time in April.