A retiring nurse whose career spans 37 years has left a lasting legacy that will help shape North Wales’ cancer care workforce for many years to come.
Beryl Roberts started her nursing career in 1985 as a student nurse in Wrexham Maelor General Hospital.
Over the course of the 37-year career that followed, Beryl has been involved in nearly every new centre developed to improve cancer care in North Wales.
READ MORE: Maelor Hospital's 'dreadful' parking situation needs sorting
Following a brief time away from cancer nursing to qualify and work as a psychiatric nurse, Beryl returned to cancer care and in 1992 became the first nurse in North Wales to be trained at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London to administer cytotoxic chemotherapy.
From there Beryl went on to play a lead role in the development of cancer nurses for a new cancer unit dedicated to delivering cytotoxic chemotherapy clinical trials.
In 1996 Beryl experienced her own cancer diagnosis. After undergoing surgery and treatment which lasted for over four months, on her return to work she completed a Masters Degree focussing on patient satisfaction to help improve services for others.
Since then Beryl has gone on to become the first ever Macmillan Lead Oncology Nurse for North Wales based in the Shooting Start unit in Wrexham, completed an Advanced Nurse Practitioner PGD, and worked as both a Nurse Clinician and a Matron for Cancer services.
READ MORE: Maelor Hospital has worst times in Wales for waiting time targets
Since 2013 Beryl has been Head of Nursing for the Cancer Division within Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Her team has worked tirelessly to deliver more chemotherapy treatments in peoples’ homes to avoid them having to travel and come into hospital, developed new oral chemotherapy pick-up services, and modified chemotherapy treatment regimes in line with national guidance to make them less toxic for patients.
Speaking about the legacy she hopes to leave behind Beryl said: “Planning how we will recruit and train the specialist cancer care staff North Wales will need in the future is no small task, and I certainly haven’t done this on my own.
“That is the story of my career really - I have seen huge health care challenges over the years, and nothing I have done in that time would have been possible without the support and friendship of my work colleagues.
“The changes and improvements in cancer care have been astronomical when I consider where we were when I first started my career.
“Right now, in North Wales we deliver over 100 chemotherapy treatments a day, 5 days a week to patients diagnosed with cancer who at the start of my career would have had very few treatment options available indeed.
READ MORE: Macmillan to provide more support to cancer patients with rising bills
“What I wanted to help achieve was to make sure that all these improvements in cancer were not stalled by the impact of this pandemic or the wider pressures we know Wales’ cancer care services as a whole will face in the years to come.”
Richard Pugh, Head of Partnerships for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales said: “We have been hugely proud to work with Beryl over the years.
“On the back of Beryl’s workforce review, Macmillan Cancer Support has invested more than £600,000 to fund 3 new clinical nurse specialists and 6 assistant practitioner posts.
“Thanks to Beryl we are confident these new posts will be placed where they are needed the most, and where they can make the greatest contribution to delivering personalised care for people with cancer.
“Beryl really does embody what it means to be a cancer nurse and we wish her all the best for a well-deserved retirement.”
Gill Harris, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Nursing and Midwifery for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “We are immensely proud of Beryl.
“Right up until her very last day Beryl has never stopped striving to create the best possible care for cancer patients in north Wales.
“The workforce review is a lasting legacy - one that will shape the direction of cancer care in north Wales for many years to come.”
While Beryl may now plan to retire and spend some well-deserved time with her husband and sons on the family farm, she hasn’t yet fully called time on her nursing career.
READ MORE: P&A group celebrate huge partnership with Macmillan
Beryl, who lives near Conwy, will remain on the nurse bank for the health board to be called on if and when needed.
If you are worried and need advice, information or a chat you can call Macmillan for free on 0808 808 0000.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here