Cancer nurses who made a 'profound impact' retire

Two West Yorkshire nurses have retired after giving more than 90 years of "invaluable" combined service to the NHS.

Mandy Blackburn and Kath Kitchen have cared for thousands of patients at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, working as breast care nurse specialists.

Their roles involved providing advice and support to patients during and after treatment or operations for breast cancer.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals' Clinical Lead for Breast Cancer Fiona Langlands said the pair were "irreplaceable".

"Their knowledge, experience and work ethic have been first class," she said.

"They have had a profound impact on thousands of women and families."

Kitchen began her career working in elderly care at Leeds' St James's Hospital in 1979, going on to become a staff nurse at Seacroft Hospital and spending time in the St James's A&E rapid response team.

She became a breast care nurse in 2006.

"I understand and appreciate how the ability to listen, showing compassion and having the will to go the extra mile can have upon patients and colleagues," she said.

"I feel forever grateful for the career I have loved through both the good and bad."

Blackburn has been a breast care nurse since 2004, having first started in gynaecology in 1981, before working as a ward manager in the surgical unit at St Luke's Hospital in Bradford.

She said her passion for cancer care came from her son, who beat the disease when he was a child.

"It feels very emotional and quite overwhelming," she said of her retirement.

"I truly value the NHS, it is there to help every single person.

"If I have been able to make a small difference, I am really grateful for that."

One of Blackburn's patients was Alison Coates, who was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 27.

She recovered but was recently diagnosed again, 33 years later.

She said while the diagnosis was a shock, she had always found comfort in having Blackburn by her side.

"Having a specialist like Mandy is one of the most amazing things, because they're giving you emotional support, which is just as important as having clinical treatment," she said.

"They are there to reassure you after an appointment, to answer the things that you might be too nervous to ask the surgeon about.

"Mandy and I, we have emailed each other, we have spoken on the phone.

"Mandy has rung me at 8 o'clock at night, hours after her shift finished and as a woman, having another woman to refer to is a really amazing thing."

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