Hinchingbrooke Hospital celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. In the first of two features, we meet three staff members who have worked there since it opened.  

When Hinchingbrooke Hospital was being built in the early 1980s, Mick Collins’ job was to keep an eye on the building site as a security guard.  

“It was great to see a new hospital building coming together,” he said when reflecting on those years.  

At around the same time, student nurses Sarah Carter and Lynda Hard were also close to qualifying. 

Both chose to begin their careers at Huntingdon’s new hospital when it opened in 1983. 

“It was an exciting time for us all to be in these brand new facilities,” Lynda remembers. 

The Hunts Post: Sarah Carter in her early days of nursing. Sarah Carter in her early days of nursing. (Image: Sarah Carter)All three of these staff members – Mick, Sarah and Lynda – went on to spend the rest of their working lives at Hinchingbrooke.  

Between them, they have cared for thousands of patients. 

They have seen the hospital adapt to the needs of a growing community and how research and technology has transformed healthcare.  

The Hunts Post: Sarah Carter is the Deputy Sister in the Special Care Baby Unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital.Sarah Carter is the Deputy Sister in the Special Care Baby Unit at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. (Image: North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust)Sarah, who worked her way up the ranks to Deputy Sister in the Special Care Baby Unit, is often recognised when she's out and about. 

Many are parents who have gone through the agonising experience of a baby in the unit. 

Sarah said: “It is an incredibly rewarding role and a privilege to be able to help people at a very difficult time in their lives.” 

She lived in nurses accommodation at the Hinchingbrooke site during her training.

Thinking back to those years, Sarah said: “Babies would be snuggled up in sheepskin to keep them cosy and protected.  

“Premature baby clothes were not readily available to buy, so we used to make them between shifts or during our breaks.” 

She is not just known for the support she offers within the hospital.

For 30 years, Sarah has also helped new families in the area through her parent support group.  

The Hunts Post: Lynda Hard is retired but still works in ophthalmology as part time bank staff.Lynda Hard is retired but still works in ophthalmology as part time bank staff. (Image: North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust)Meanwhile, Lynda has had various nursing roles at Hinchingbrooke since joining when she was 18.   

An opportunity to care for patients requiring eye surgery and treatment is where she discovered an interest in ophthalmology.   

So much so, Lynda still helps the team part time even though she has retired.

Lynda, a staff nurse, said: “In 2005 our treatment centre opened.  

“I remember moving across from the main site and wondering what we were going to do with all this space.   

“We had so many rooms and space for huge pieces of equipment and the latest technology.

"Now I know that as our local population has grown, we use every room.    

She added: “Research and technology has improved so much over the years that now we can hold off some conditions, such as macular degeneration, which would have previously resulted in sight loss.   

“It is great to see how healthcare has changed over the years.” 

The Hunts Post: Hinchingbrooke Hospital, in Huntingdon, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Hinchingbrooke Hospital, in Huntingdon, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. (Image: Archant)With Mick, after his security guard role and a short spell working with the hospital estate’s team, his interest in the operating theatres took him into the direction of healthcare.  

In 1985, he started training as an Operating Department Practitioner and qualified two years later.  

When Hinchingbrooke first opened, it only had four theatres.  

There are now 12 across the site and the new Theatres Block is due to accept its first patients in December.  

Mick, who is now a team leader, said: “No two days were ever the same and you always felt a sense of achievement when you were involved in each operation, helping to patch someone back up again and recover.” 

The Hunts Post: Mick Collins started work at Hinchingbrooke Hospital as a security guard when the hospital was being built in the early 1980s. He is now a theatres team leader.Mick Collins started work at Hinchingbrooke Hospital as a security guard when the hospital was being built in the early 1980s. He is now a theatres team leader. (Image: North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust)Even though he is due to retire, Mick plans to return part-time as the Theatre Block transitions into the new £30m building. 

He said: “It has been great to see Hinchingbrooke grow and develop over the years and now we are going full circle as we open our new theatres.” 

In our next feature, we will meet some of Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s first patients.