NORTHERN Care Alliance NHS Group (NCA) chief executive Raj Jain has thanked 60 staff for hitting the 40 years’ service mark, working at hospitals in Salford, Oldham, Bury, Rochdale, North Manchester and community services.

Certificates were presented to the long serving staff members at a thank you ceremony in the education centre auditorium at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury recently.

The NCA brings together the Salford Royal and Pennine Acute hospital trusts, with a workforce of over 17,000 staff.

The event was arranged especially to show appreciation to staff who have worked numerous different professions, from medicine to nursing, midwifery, radiology, catering, laundry, administration, estates and others.

In a light-hearted speech Mr Jain Jain thanked the staff and reminisced how the NHS has changed over the years, from the days of 20p prescription charges, to staff working on electronic typewriters, before the advent of the digital revolution. He also quoted an excerpt from the NHS Constitution.

Senior directors from each of the NCA’s care organisations handed out certificates to staff from their own hospitals and community services and thanked them for their hard work.

They handed certificates to Susan Parkinson, medical secretary, dermatology in Salford; Judith Leigh, orthoptic assistant in Oldham; Arthur Genesis, grounds and gardens supervisor in Bury and Rochdale and Renee Deadman, a laundry assistant at Manchester.

After the presentations staff were treated to a lavish hot buffet and a selection of sandwiches and cold beverages, tea, coffee and a choice of cakes, and staff Mr Jain said: “I would like to say a big thank you to all our staff who have completed 40 years’ service or longer, on behalf of the executives at the Northern Care Alliance. It was my privilege to stand before them, present them with their certificates, and thank them for serving the populations they have served, so diligently, for so many years. I would also like to thank them personally for all for their tremendous hard work over the years.”