Long-serving NHS employee retires after six decades of service

A dedicated individual from Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital is concluding his career after six decades of service to the NHS. John Harris, who holds the position of legal services manager at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), expressed such profound enjoyment for his profession that he stated he would “do it all again”. Known for commencing work daily at 06:30 and consistently working on-site, he has been recognized as one of the trust’s most committed staff members. Mr. Harris began his tenure with the Mid Worcestershire Hospital Management Committee—presently known as Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust—on 14 December 1964, serving under the hospital secretary while stationed at Bromsgrove General Hospital. His relocation to Wolverhampton occurred in February 1968 upon his appointment as deputy hospital secretary at the erstwhile Royal Hospital; he advanced to hospital secretary four years subsequent to this. “I regarded myself as very fortunate because it was a plum job,” Mr. Harris commented, noting that his final workday is scheduled for New Year’s Eve. He added, “Wolverhampton was strategic and very important operationally in the West Midlands, because of the excellence of its medical services.” He recounted that his entry into the legal field was prompted by his mother, who told him, “my mum said to me ‘you have been arguing since you were born so you might as well be paid for it’!” He further stated, “I would do it all again because it’s been so varied and personally satisfying.” He continues to instruct first and second-year doctors, as well as middle-grade doctors and trainee endoscopists, in medical law. He identified his most memorable experience, despite its somber nature, as assisting a woman with her will during an Easter weekend. He recalled, “She was very unwell, and I was told she hadn’t got long to live.” “It was a particular set of circumstances, but she was able to nod and give consent and signed her will, albeit very faintly,” he explained. “She reached out and squeezed my hand. It gave me a lot of satisfaction being able to do that for her. She died a few hours later.” Mr. Harris was honored as the December recipient of RWT’s Exceeding Expectation Award, an accolade that acknowledges employees for their consistent exceptional effort. He encountered his wife, Jo, 52 years ago when she served as a sister at the Royal; they share a son named Tim. Following the announcement of Mr. Harris’s retirement, numerous commendations from colleagues appeared on the trust’s Facebook page. Ann Hazel described him as a “true gentleman, professional, knowledgeable, patient, kind, with a heart of gold.” Pamela Ryan further remarked, “A lovelier man you would be hard pushed to find.” For updates, follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country across BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.