Caring nurse is awarded MBE

Jan 8 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

WHEN Doreen Meiklem received a letter from Buckingham Palace telling her she was to be awarded an MBE she thought it was an elaborate hoax.

The caring nurse, who lives in Bathgate with husband James, has been given the honour for her services to healthcare and the community after 32 years of dedication at Stoneyburn Health Centre.

But instead of telling friends and family her good news she kept it to herself in fear of giving the joker a good laugh.

And it was not until she decided to show her work colleagues the letter that she was finally convinced her honour was genuine.

Doreen said: “I thought it was all a big joke when the letter came in.

“I thought that if I didn’t say anything about it to anyone then the person who did it wouldn’t get a laugh from it.

“But when I showed the letter to people in work and asked them what they thought of it they said it was real.

“It was a big shock and it still has not sunk in to be honest.

“It is very nice and I am quite honoured by it.

“Now I just need to think about a new outfit for the day when I receive the award.”

Doreen, who started in nursing 43 years ago, has worked at the health centre for the past 32 years.

But it is her dedication above and beyond the call of duty which has really endeared her to the people of Stoneyburn.

The 59-year-old grandmother runs a twice weekly lunch club for the pensioners in the village in her own lunch break from work.

And she also arranges outings and parties for the club members, which she runs in her days off.

Doreen added: “I just felt there was nothing in the village for the old folk.

“I keep them busy and entertained but I get lots of help.

“Helen Forrester is my right-hand woman and I couldn’t do it without her. She looks after the money as we have to raise funds for all our trips.

“When I look back at it all I have been in nursing for 43 years and 32 of them have been in Stoneyburn. It just seems like yesterday that I went there.

“I was born and raised in Stoneyburn and was destined for nursing. My mum and aunts were all nurses and when I left school I went straight into it.

“When I first started I didn’t know if it was a good idea to work with people I knew so well but I have never regretted it.

“The biggest prescription I hand out are hugs. They always make people feel better.”

Typical of someone who has spent over four decades looking after other people Doreen, who has two children Karen and Steven and granddaughter Paige, believes the real praise belongs to other people.

She said: “I just beaver away and never think about these kind of things.

“My patients are fantastic and I can’t thank them enough.

“Of course all my colleagues — doctors, nurses and reception staff — are great and really make life easy for me. I love my work.”

The practice nurse’s colleagues lined up to praise her.

Practice manager Betty Currie said: “On a daily basis she carries out her nursing duties but her dedication to the community and interaction with her patients is exceptional and takes her well above what a nurse is expected to do.

“To this end it makes our doctors working day an easier proposition.

“She is loved and respected by all her friends and patients in the village and out with the area. Everyone is delighted for her.”

WELL DESERVED: Doreen Meiklem has been made a MBE and is pictured above being congratulated by some of her colleagues.svwlc060109meiklem-1