Boss leads tributes as cancer nurse retires

May 21 2009 by Debbie Spalding, West Lothian Courier

ONE of the longest serving Macmillan nurses in Scotland is to retire after dedicating more than 18 years to cancer patients in West Lothian.

Sheila Rae (59), started her Macmillan nursing post in September 1990 after spending six years as a district nurse in West Lothian.

Since becoming a Macmillan palliative nurse specialist, Sheila has worked with the Macmillan Palliative Care Service in West Lothian – the oldest community Macmillan service in Scotland.

While she is based at the Dedridge Health Centre in Livingston, Sheila’s work has taken her into the homes of patients throughout West Lothian.

Her work as a Macmillan palliative nurse specialist has involved improving the quality of patients’ lives when treatments may no longer offer a cure for their cancer.

By working closely with other professionals in the NHS, Sheila’s work also involves coming up with ways to manage her patients’ pain and symptoms.

Sheila, who is the second longest serving Macmillan nurse in Scotland, said: “I have loved this job and loved making a difference to my patients – helping to normalise the extremes of emotion and alleviating pain and suffering where possible.”

The respected nurse has also shared her vast experience inthe field of palliative care and cancer with colleagues and she has been involved in an array of teaching initiatives, including the Lothian Palliative Care Education Project.

This project involved a district nurse spending a day a week with Sheila for 12 weeks, a course that aimed to raise their confidence, skills and knowledge.

She has also enjoyed being involved in the development of new services in the region and was particularly proud to see the opening of the Macmillan Day Care Service at St John's Hospital.

Her own special interest has been breathlessness in lung cancer and Sheila was responsible for setting up the nurse-led West Lothian Breathlessness Management Service.

Sheila, of Linlithgow, is looking forward to spending more time with her husband Jim, her three sons and three granddaughters.

A keen family historian, Sheila is also a respected member of St Michael’s Parish Church in Linlithgow and also volunteers as a counsellor.

She added: “I have enjoyed teaching, enabling and empowering my healthcare colleagues who I will most certainly miss after my retirement.

“This job has been both a pleasure and a privilege but I’ll enter my retirement knowing that I leave the service in the capable hands of a group of dedicated professionals.”

Tom McInnes, Macmillan’s development manager in the Lothians, said: “Sheila’s work has made a huge impact in West Lothian, where she will be missed by patients and professionals alike.

“Her dedication has made a real difference to the people she has cared for and to palliative care services in the region.

“We wish her all the best for her retirement.”