A much-loved senior Nurse has retired from the NHS after 34 years serving the people of the Black Country and Birmingham.

Katrina Creedon, Head of Nursing Quality at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), has spent time working in all four of the Black Country’s NHS provider trusts during her exceptional career.

She started out as a Staff Nurse at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust in 1990, then gained specialist experience in cardiology before moving to Solihull and achieving her first promotion to Sister.

She later became a nurse specialist and rose through the ranks – arriving at RWT as a Senior Matron at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, before her interest in Nursing quality led her into corporate leadership roles.

As Head of Nursing Quality, Katrina has supported teams across RWT, as well as working collaboratively with RWT’s partner Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, to drive improvements in patient safety and outcomes.

Lisa Carroll, Chief Nursing Officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I don’t think there is a ward or department in either of our Trusts where they don’t know Katrina, and she is loved by everybody she works with.

“Her compassion, drive and commitment to doing better for our patients has always shone through – she’s what Nursing is all about.”

Katrina is planning an active retirement with lots of quality time with family and friends, as well as realising her long-standing dream of buying a holiday home on the coast with her husband.

Looking back on her career, she said: “Nursing part of you, it’s not just a job, and I’ve loved every moment.

“If I was going to give some advice to young Nurses just starting out, it’s to always stay curious. Take up every opportunity that comes your way, even if you’re worried it’s a stretch, because you never know where it will take you and you might just surprise yourself.”