Voices of Experience – Adeline Reid

In this interview, Adeline describes her professional journey from initial training in Elgin, her Queen’s Nurse training in Glasgow and a varied career in Glasgow and the North East of Scotland.  She talks about how the role of the District Nurse, and the relationship with GPs, changed during her career and describes the long and often exhausting hours of work involved.

Hear the stories of the healthcare role of a taxi driver, the dog who ran away with a placenta and tales of extraordinary resilience.  Adeline also talks about some of the incredible work she did which led to her being awarded an MBE for services to the support of cancer patients.

Background

In 2016, journalist Pennie Taylor was commissioned to compile oral histories from our retired Queen’s Nurses.  Interviews with nine Queen’s Nurses as part of the project “Voices of Experience” were filmed, and these videos provide an informative and colourful depiction of life as a community nurse across the latter half of the twentieth century.  Each interviewee brings a unique perspective, creating a comprehensive look at the importance of Queen’s Nurses to Scotland’s communities.  The interviews help to illustrate how training and practice have changed over the years, and are a fascinating piece of our history which we are delighted to be able to share with you.

A new video will be placed online each Monday, on this page and on our YouTube channel, throughout the beginning of early 2017, so please check back weekly to hear some fantastic stories.

We were delighted to have Pennie on board, and her journalistic experience and professionalism showed throughout the whole process, creating these nine immersive videos.  Pennie said:

“It was a treat to get to know them all, and to share their memories of working lives spent helping others in cities, towns and villages the length and breadth of the land.  Each has a unique experience and perspective, of course, but what struck me about them collectively was their ingenuity and bravery, coupled with a deep-rooted commitment to delivering the highest quality nursing care possible.”