Award for East Antrim woman whose nursing career spanned over six decades

​Margaret McKinnell, known as Marjorie, began her career in the early 1960s at Whiteabbey Hospital – where she continues to work today.

The 79-year-old was joined by family, friends and colleagues on Monday afternoon at the Doagh Road site to receive the award.

“I started my training in Whiteabbey in 1962 and worked there for seven years,” said Mrs McKinnell, originally from Beragh in Co Tyrone and now living in Newtownabbey. “I was an EN and then worked my way up to a Registered Nurse. I then went to Edinburgh and did agency nursing there.”

Following a period training in psychiatric nursing at Purdysburn Mental Hospital in Belfast, she returned to Whiteabbey in 1980 after the birth of her fifth child.

"An awful lot has changed over the years since I started; there’s a lot more paperwork, and a lot more done on computers,” Mrs McKinnell added.

“We had great teams in those days; we used to have matrons on the wards and they were fantastic. They knew all the patients, all the staff and ran everything like clockwork.

"When I started in Whiteabbey, there would have been tuberculosis patients and patients with respiratory problems; they would have been in for anything from six months to a year.”

Mrs McKinnell’s early years at Whiteabbey also coincided with the opening of McCaughey House, which provided surgical care.

On working throughout The Troubles, she recalled: “We were a bit more sheltered in Whiteabbey than some of my colleagues in the Royal Victoria Hospital; it was awful for them having to see some very traumatised patients coming in. We would still have had patients transferred to us for rehab.”

Despite retiring 10 years ago, the local woman continued to work shifts as a bank nurse. "When I retired I thought that was me finally finished with nursing, but I took a notion of going back,” she said. "I hadn’t re-registered so I went back as a Band 3."

And with the recent Covid-19 pandemic giving rise to unprecedented challenges for nursing staff, Mrs McKinnell was full of praise for her colleagues who worked throughout the global health crisis, particularly those in the hospital’s Nightingale unit. “The nurses who were on the front line absolutely deserve to be recognised; it must have been awful for them but they just got on with their jobs. Whiteabbey is a lovely, busy wee hospital; it’s rehab now and the physiotherapists and OTs [occupational therapists] are absolutely brilliant. I absolutely love nursing; I love interacting with patients. It’s hard work but very rewarding."

Among those attending the hospital site for the presentation of Mrs McKinnell’s award was her daughter, Christina Raeburn. “My mum just has that old school work ethic and she loves her job; it’s a big part of her life,” Christina said. "We’re very proud of her.”

Northern Health and Social Care Trust Director of Medicine and Emergency Medicine Audrey Harris, who presented Mrs McKinnell with her award added: “It was an honour for all of us to join Marjorie and her family to celebrate and reflect on her amazing career.

“She has cared for countless patients, and been a wonderful colleague and mentor to all those who have been fortunate to work with her through the years.

“This recognition is richly deserved, and I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Marjorie for her expertise and dedication to nursing which we have all benefited from.”