One of Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ last nurses to have tended to the injured on the day of the Bradford City Football Club Fire is retiring after 44 years dedicated service at the end of this month.
Angela O’Neill (pictured) will take off her nurse’s uniform for the last time after completing her final shift at the Trust’s Trauma and Orthopaedics Outpatients Clinic on 31 October, bringing to a close a remarkable career that has touched the lives of thousands of patients and colleagues.
Angela – who began her State Enrolled Nurse training in 1982, qualifying in 1984, before converting to become a Registered General Nurse in October 1994 – is believed to be the last nurse still working at the Trust who was involved in caring for victims of the Bradford City Football Club fire on 11 May, 1985.
Called into work while off duty and living in the nurses’ home at Bradford Royal Infirmary, Angela joined colleagues responding to one of the city’s darkest days.
She said:
I picked up the communal phone and heard a voice say, ‘Get as many off-duty staff down to Accident and Emergency (A&E) as soon as possible to help with burns’ patients.’
A colleague and I ran as fast as we could, but when we got to the lower corridor – where A&E is based – the smell of burning flesh stopped you in your tracks. It is something I will never forget.
It was chaos – because of the number of staff and people in the department – but organised chaos as the team leaders were brilliant and the teamwork was second to none. Everybody came together and the camaraderie between patients and staff was amazing. In the face of such adversity, it was that community spirit that pulled us through.
Angela continued to care for survivors in the weeks and months that followed while working on one of the Trust’s trauma wards, helping patients recover from burns, fractures and life-changing injuries.
Over the following four decades, she built a career in trauma and orthopaedic nursing, becoming a respected leader and mentor. One of her proudest achievements came as matron of Ward 28 (Trauma, Breast and Orthopaedics), where she led a remarkable turnaround in standards, culture and patient care. The team’s efforts were recognised when Ward 28 won the Trust’s Team of the Year Award in 2017 and Angela was recognised by Chief Nurse, Karen Dawber, and appointed ward manager.
Colleagues Matron Karis Reeve and Senior Sister Tammy Bingham say goodbye to Angela (centre)
Throughout her career, Angela also demonstrated extraordinary personal resilience. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she underwent treatment before returning to work. In 2022, she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer and has continued to balance treatment with her passion for nursing.
Drawing on her own experiences, Angela helped care for breast surgery patients while working as ward matron, providing reassurance and empathy to people facing a journey she knew herself.
She explained:
It felt an honour to support patients going through the same journey as I had. Being able to tell someone, ‘I know what you’re going through, and you will come out the other side,’ was a privilege.
Despite continuing treatment, Angela has remained committed to caring for patients and supporting colleagues.
The NHS has changed massively in my lifetime. To be able to stay in the NHS and be successful you have got to be able to adapt to changes constantly. Things evolve and develop all the time, and you’ve got to be that adaptable person to go with that flow of change and embrace it,
she added.
Looking ahead to retirement, she plans to focus on family, travel and making memories with loved ones, as well as managing the odd nurse bank shift in the clinic if needed!
Living with secondary breast cancer is a lottery to how long I have left, she explained. I have a bucket list of places I want to visit and adventures I want to have.
My husband Peter and I have restored an old camper van and we’re looking forward to exploring more of the UK together. I also want to spend precious time with my six grandchildren and my elderly parents.
It’s been a privilege to care for the people of Bradford for so many years. Nursing will always be part of who I am.
Angela leaves behind a legacy of compassion, leadership and dedication that has inspired generations of colleagues and made a lasting difference to patients and families across Bradford.