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It was while visiting a family member in hospital and observing nurses at work that Celia Kendrick thought: ‘I could do that!’

She did – and 45 years on, Trust Head of Resilience and Emergency Preparedness, Celia continues her love of working in the NHS – and has been recognised for her incredible career to date.

Colleagues surprised Celia with a long-service presentation at Peterborough City Hospital to officially mark her remarkable four and a half decades with the Trust.

Enrolled into the Peterborough and Stamford School of Nursing aged 18, training became a mixture of school-based learning and putting the theory into practice on the relevant wards. 

Having qualified in 1983, Celia gained experience and an insight into a number of different areas, but it was A&E which became her passion.

Celia said: “It was fast paced, and every day was different; you could be dealing with anything from small injuries that needed stitching, right up to saving lives. There is no greater feeling on earth than saving someone’s life.”

During more than three decades of working in A&E – as a staff nurse, sister and lead nurse – Celia has been involved with a number of trailblazing initiatives that have shaped training across the UK and globally.

A chance finding of a ‘major incident plan’ document tucked away in a ward drawer in 1983 paved the way for her interest and subsequent career turn in emergency planning.

In 2004, Celia was instrumental in producing and launching an initiative that has changed the way hospitals deal with major incidents. The Hospital Major Incident Medical Management & Support (HMIMMS) course is now being taught all over the world – including in countries preparing for FIFA World Cup and Euro tournaments - delivered by Celia in her spare time.

Celia – who was appointed Head of Resilience and Emergency Preparedness in 2016 - has seen more than most; implementing a decontamination procedure following the 9/11 attacks, working a 26-hour shift to ensure that the A&E department at the old hospital could close and reopen as a new Emergency Department at Peterborough City Hospital opening in 2010 and delivering a revised plan and response during the challenging pandemic. 

 

 

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North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust Head of Resilience and Emergency Preparedness, Celia Kendrick – recognised for her 45-year long service.