Denise Cunningham reckons she's been very very lucky. In her near 20-year career at CHFT, promotion and the changing nature of her job has meant it's the place she stayed the longest and she's loved every mniute of it.

Our senior sister on ICU, said: "Before here I had only stayed  anywhere for four or five years at the longest. I love ICU. You get to do everything for the patients as they are so dependent on you. They need us as individuals and as teams to be always at our very best."

Her future plans include bank work at CHFT and she also wants to explore the UK in her Ford Transit converted campervan. She is also planning to train as a humanist celebrant performing weddings and funerals and naming ceremonies and reckons her nurse background will be really useful. "I can use all my skills from nursing. You have to be compassionate and a good listener and be able to celebrate and support people."

Looking back, Denise says her years with the ICU Outreach team were most challenging but definitely worth all the hard work. The service - now three times the size -  means ICU nurses leave the unit to visit patients on other wards when they are  showing signs they maybe deteriorating. It means the patient can be admiited earlier onto ICU for a better outcome or the ward teams get advice at an earlier stage to prevent an admission to ICU.

 Denise added: "The outreach team does an amazing job. It requries high levels of competence and also a lot of time spent with relatives and I just love it."

Colleagues presented her with flowers and there is also a night out planned for further celebrations away from work.