A grandmother who has worked more than 60 years as a nurse has finally decided to retire.

Val Ellis, from Dover, remembers caring for victims of an IRA bomb attack and looks back at a time when ash trays by a patient’s bedside was the norm.

At 15 years old, she first started out as a pre-student nurse in 1959 and worked at the Royal Victoria Children’s Home in Westbrook.

The healthcare industry she used to work in has changed a lot over the years.

Val said: “We didn’t go to university to train, it was all done on the wards and I’m so glad – I would hate to be stuck in a classroom.

“It was very strict when I started and you didn’t speak to anyone above you unless you were spoken to.”

“I loved the respect that was shown to the doctors,” she added. “In my day it was an honour to wash up a consultant’s cup, because doctors were held in such high regard.

“I still wouldn’t dream of addressing a doctor by their first name on the ward.

“We could be naughty behind the scenes, but heaven help you if you got caught, or if you were making too much noise when the surgeon was doing his rounds!”

Hospital wards have also developed throughout the decades – from one long room with a central console, to smaller bay areas for groups of patients.

“It was so different then,” the 79-year-old recalled.

“Patients had ash trays by the beds and some of the staff hid cigarettes in the fridges if someone senior appeared.

“Back in my time the cleaning we had to do was absolutely phenomenal. Dirt didn’t stand a chance.”

“One of the doctors used to put his cigar in his pocket and we would have to point out that his pocket was on fire.

“Back in my time the cleaning we had to do was absolutely phenomenal. Dirt didn’t stand a chance.”

Throughout her career of 64 years, Val has had many memorable moments.

From accompanying a five-year-old who had been hit by a car in a helicopter to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in the 1960s, to the aftermath of major incidents.

This included the IRA attack on the School of Music in Deal during 1989, where 11 Royal Marines were killed, as well as a hovercraft accident in 1985 that killed two and injured dozens.

She said: “I took the phone call about the hovercraft accident and you just go into overdrive.

“You don’t have time to think or get upset. I did five years in the emergency department and what comes in the doors is unbelievable.

“You just have to get on with it, but it is afterwards when it hits you.”

“I particularly remember the IRA attack, when so many were so badly injured for such a horrendous reason,” she added.

“But if you are able to be there and to be of some use to relatives and patients then you feel like you have made a difference.

“I am grateful I was a nurse, and in my heart I will always be a nurse.”

Val also worked in the children’s ward at Margate Hospital, before moving to the old Buckland Hospital in Dover to train.

Next she attended to the female surgical ward at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Dover and then spent some time at the ear, nose and throat hospital in Maidstone.

After that Val returned to Buckland and worked in various departments before specialising in dermatology – where she stayed for almost 40 years.

She said: “I always wanted to be a nurse and I didn’t intend to specialise as I loved being with patients on the ward.

“But I started to fill in for a nurse who was working with dermatology consultant Dr Valerie Neild, and I ended up working closely with her in her clinics before having my own clinics and becoming a dermatology specialist nurse.

“Valerie was my lead consultant, but also a close friend and sadly she died two years ago.”

“Dermatology is a huge subject,” Val explained.

“People think it is just a spot or a rash but it is the largest organ of the body and there are many problems that can affect it, from acne to skin cancer.

“It can be so rewarding to have someone with terrible eczema or psoriasis, and seeing the treatment work.

“I have followed a lot of the patients for years and have had some lovely messages from them.”

“Teenagers with acne are like a blooming flower – they go from hiding in hoodies to feeling confident to face the world.”

Val was one of the first nurses in the country to have a “breaking bad news” clinic, allowing her to tell people they had skin cancer face-to-face in a supportive environment.

She said: “I have followed a lot of the patients for years and have had some lovely messages from them.

“I’m so grateful to the dermatology team over the years, from the top to the bottom, and I’ve loved working with every one of them.

“They have been so kind and respectful and I will definitely stay in touch.”