Britain’s oldest nurse who incredibly is still working at 84 scooped gold at the social care Oscars.
Dedicated Daisy Richards first qualified as a nurse in 1958 and is not ready to retire yet.
This week she was awarded with the gold Dignity in Care Award at the glittering Wales Care Awards ceremony in Cardiff hosted by radio and TV presenter Jason Mohammad.
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And there was double delight for Daisy as she was also awarded a bronze Outstanding Service Award at the celebration.
At the time Daisy qualified as a nurse 66 years ago, Harold Macmillan was PM and Wolverhampton Wanderers were first division champions.
Elizabeth II had only been on the throne six years and Elvis Presley was in the charts.
Daisy works at the Fairways Newydd Nursing and Dementia Care Home in Llanfairpwll, Anglesey, and incredibly some of the patients she cares for are younger than her as reported by What’s The Jam.
She conceded that picking up the gold award was “a bit of an achievement at the age of 84”.
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She said: “I’m still in a state of shock at getting the gold award to be honest, I still don’t think it has registered.
“What really floored me was to be announced a winner for the Dignity Award.
“It took me a few seconds to realise it was me.
“One of my colleagues who was sitting by me told me I had to go and get the award.
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“It was lovely, everybody was so kind.
“The awards evening was fantastic it was wonderful to be there.
“My manager Rebekah told me to enjoy the award, take it on board and accept it was something I had achieved.
“I am the sort of person who finds that difficult.
“I just go to work, do my work and do my best.
“It will take me a while to come to terms with getting the award.
“I suppose it is a bit of an achievement at the age of 84.
“The thing is, I really still enjoy my job, every bit of it.
“I enjoy every day at work looking after the dementia patients.
“And I really think it’s true that age is only a number.
“People ask why I am still working at 84, and I say it could be any number – I could be 20 or 30.
“The important thing is that I am still able to work, do my work to my maximum capacity.”
Daisy said she has no plans to retire.
She is already looking ahead to next year and the nursing revalidation process to maintain her registration.
She said: “I have to revalidate next year, so I am getting ready to revalidate.
“People say I will be 85 next year, so ask am I really going to revalidate.
“And I say, ‘but yes of course’.
“All my colleagues are so supportive and kind I really enjoy working with them.”
Daisy was nominated for an award by Rebekah Charles, the manager at Fairways Newydd Nursing and Dementia Care Home.
Rebekah said Daisy’s colleagues cheered her on as she received her award.
She said: “The gold award was so well-deserved, we were all thrilled for her and it was great to be at the awards to see her receive it.
“She is so humble that even until the very last minute she was telling us the award wasn’t for her, but for all of us.
“She is so lovely and humble that she is not capable of easily accepting such an individual award but she really does deserve it.”
Rebekah paid tribute to Daisy and her remarkable work, saying: “Daisy’s commitment to her role on the nursing team at Fairways Newydd is truly remarkable, particularly given her age.
“Her approach reflects the values of an old-school matron, where she expects nothing less than excellence in care delivery, from the smallest details like bed making to the overall organisation of medication administration.
“Daisy, has an extensive career in the care sector, spanning nearly five decades, beginning in 1976.
“Throughout this time, she has dedicated herself to caring for the elderly working with care homes.
“Daisy began her career after qualifying as a registered nurse in 1958.
“Following her qualification and registration, she gained invaluable experience at Epsom District Hospital, where she worked on a medical ward for several years.
“In 1972, Daisy moved to Anglesey and joined Bangor Hospital, further expanding her expertise in healthcare.”
The Outstanding Service Award was sponsored by Caron Group. It was announced by Raam Joshi, Managing Director, Caron Group. It was presented by Julie Morgan AS/MS, Member of the Senedd.
Mario Kreft, chairman of Care Forum Wales, said the standard of entries was extremely high.
He added: “There are only winners here tonight so it is only fitting that the finalists will receive a gold, silver or bronze Wales Care Award.
“I trust that they will continue to inspire those around them as role models and encourage others to aspire to even greater heights and in the months and years to come.
“This awards ceremony is our opportunity to pay tribute and to celebrate the talent and commitment that is improving the quality of life for thousands and thousands of people throughout Wales.
”We take our hats off to them.”
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