Twin nurses who retired after 42 years return to work

Carole and Lynda Heather have gone back to doing shifts at Eastbourne District General Hospital after answering the call for former NHS staff to rejoin the workforce during the pandemic.

Retirement had lasted just a couple of weeks for the pair, who both live in Eastbourne.

Carole said: “We were due to retire and normally you have to have a 30-day break before you can come back but the Government has changed things now because of the situation.

“So we decided we would come back and do bank shifts on the temporary workforce and now we are back doing what we were doing before.

“It is different and obviously everyone was unsure what was going to happen when the virus hit and how we would deal with things.

“Although it’s been busy we’ve not found it to be as much of a struggle as some hospitals have. Everyone just works very well together as a team.”

The twins, who both live in Eastbourne, have never taken a day off sick during their careers, which span almost 42 years.

Carole and Lynda, both 59, started working as State Enrolled Nurses (SEN) at the Sussex Downs School of Nursing in Eastbourne in October 1978.

Twins Lynda and Carole Heather at Eastbourne District General Hospital in 1984

During their training and since qualifying they have worked at various hospitals in and around Eastbourne, including All Saints, St Mary’s, Hellingly and Eastbourne District General Hospital.

Now the pair are back working on the wards where they started their careers, with Carole working in the Acute Medical Unit and Lynda on the Michelham Ward.

Carole said: “You do worry about the virus but you go by the rules and the regulations and do the things you’re supposed to, and hopefully we will be all right. We are not working in close contact with Covid patients.

“The main thing is to work together and to support each other. If you have a difficult situation you talk to one another and help out. The patients and their relatives always give their best wishes and their thanks, which really helps.”

Lynda said the weekly Clap for Carers event, when people across the country take to their windows and door steps to applaud healthcare workers every Thursday, has also given staff a big boost during the crisis.

She said: “It’s just lovely. A lot of people have found it quite emotional. The best thing about the job is seeing that you’ve made a difference.”