A MATRON has announced her retirement after more than 30 years of looking after poorly young people.

Children’s matron Jane Scott first began working at Warrington Hospital on January 6, 1986.

Now, the 55-year-old is retiring from the profession after 32 years of service in which she has nursed youngsters from Halton.

Jane said: “I don’t know why, but I just always wanted to go into children’s nursing from being in school.

“My dad wanted me to go to university so I had to fight to do it but I won, although I then did a degree when I was 40.

“I remember a lot of the children from over the years and even what rooms they were in, and I still see a lot of them out and about.

“In fact, a few weeks ago in Asda I recognised a mum whose baby I looked after and her child is now 28.

“Within paediatrics we’re all like one big family and a lot of us have worked here for a long time.

“I remember all of my staff’s kids being born and one of them is now working here, so mum and daughter both work on the ward.”

Jane trained at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

She added: “The politics within the NHS has changed, but the actual hands-on nursing has never changed because at the end of the day you’re still just caring for the children who are sick and their families.

“What has changed is the relationship between the doctors and nurses as they’re all on a similar footing now, whereas there used to be quite a hierarchy.

“You get very attached to the child and their families.

“Sometimes we do lose children, and you get very upset because you do feel like part of their extended family as some of them live with us for quite a while.

“But it’s great to see a child who has been really sick walk out of the hospital a few days later – it’s very rewarding and I think that’s why I’ve carried on for so long.”

Jane is not expecting a quiet retirement, and will be kept almost as busy as she was during her career in the NHS.

She said: “My daughter runs Snoutwood Trotters and my husband breeds horses, so how I ever found time to come to work I don’t know – I’ll just be outside all the time.

“It was a hard decision to retire but you’ve got to go some time.

“I’ll miss the camaraderie with my colleagues and the clinical work, but it’s quite a stressful job being a matron and I won’t miss that.

“I was at the Arianna Grande concert at the Manchester Arena the night before I retired – all my family were with me and it made me realise that it was time to spend time with them.”