'I'm been nursing since 1967 - some of my patients are younger than me'

At Milton House in Gargrave, an 80th birthday is being celebrated. Such milestones are regularly marked at the residential care home for the elderly in North Yorkshire - but this time, the octogenarian is a member of staff.

Barbara Joseph will be starting her night shift instead of enjoying her gifts of cake and whisky.

Ms Joseph has been a registered nurse since 1967 and says she has no plans to retire from the job she was "meant to be in".

"I just love looking after people. People need me to look after them, so I do it."

She joined Milton House in the 1990s and still does two shifts as a night nurse each week, clocking on just before 8pm and off the next morning.

Nowadays, some of the residents are younger than her.

Only slightly her senior is Patricia Elton-Conden, 86, who says Ms Joseph is a welcome sight on her evening rounds.

"I'm always happy when she's here. You can talk to her about anything really, and she's always there with an ear for it.

"I can't really explain how wonderful she is - she tells me about the places she's been, which is important when you can't go out any more. I do love her to bits."

She was part of a post-World War Two recruitment drive to train nurses from Commonwealth countries, and arrived from Trinidad in 1967 for her placement at Skipton General Hospital.

Deputy manager Geraldine Platt was even trained by Ms Joseph when she started at the home herself.

"I thought she was amazing. She was very thorough, very kind and her work ethic is outstanding," recalls Ms Platt.

"I've known Barbara to leave a Christmas dinner and come in when someone's been ill. That's the kind of nurse she is."

In 1970, Ms Joseph was present when Prince Charles opened the new Airedale Hospital, and she also met the late Queen Mother. She worked in Manchester and London, but settled back in Skipton with her family.

"Everyone was very kind and very welcoming. It just drew me right back, and I had to come back to Skipton."

Ms Joseph joined an NHS that was only 20 years old and where staff were still regularly treating patients with diseases such as polio and tuberculosis.

"In my time you'd take courses at school and then go on the wards. That's where you really got nursing experience, working on all of the different units.

"I love the way we were trained years ago because to me, that was really looking after people".

She has to take refresher training every three years to maintain her registration, but does not want to cut back on her hours and says she would feel "a bit lost" without work.

She travels to Milton House by bus and gets plenty of steps in doing a job she loves, which has kept her fit.

"I walk, I go and travel to interesting places, I visit museums. I love my sports – any sport really, I'll go and watch the Commonwealth Games and things like that.

"When I was very fit I used to play squash."

The birthday party at the home was attended by staff past and present, including many who have long since retired.

A low-key family gathering is also planned, but Ms Joseph will be back on shift the next evening.

At the prospect of taking a day off to celebrate, this stalwart of the nursing profession just laughs.

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