Thousands of years of experience dedicated to patient care were celebrated as more than 170 staff members and volunteers from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) came together for this year’s Long Service Awards.

Colleagues – including nurses, therapists, dietitians and administrative staff – were recognised alongside volunteers for their dedication and many years of service to the National Health Service (NHS).

The celebrations took place on Thursday 9 July, with those registered to attend collectively racking up more than 3,395 years’ worth of service to the NHS, achieved between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.

The fully sponsored ceremony, held at The Kube in Leicester, celebrated staff who have worked for the NHS for 15, 20, 25, 30 or 40 years. Volunteers were also recognised for their five, 10 or 20 years of service with LPT and the NHS. The Trust is also marking staff who have achieved 10 years of service in the NHS by sending them a special certificate and pin badge.

LPT chief executive, Angela Hillery, said: “I felt incredibly proud and grateful to celebrate alongside so many colleagues and volunteers at this year’s event. It was a privilege to hear their stories and to recognise the dedication they show every day in serving our local communities.

“Each individual brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to their roles and teams. Over the course of their NHS careers, they will have made a difference to hundreds, if not thousands, of lives – regardless of their role. Without their commitment, resilience and compassion, the NHS would not be able to deliver the fantastic work it does.

“I’d also like to acknowledge all colleagues who achieved a milestone number of years’ NHS service, but who were unable to join us. This year the Trust had 728 colleagues and nine volunteers celebrating a combined 13,200 years of service to the NHS. It is just outstanding that we have such a passionate and devoted workforce.”

Everyone who attended enjoyed an afternoon tea followed by a presentation ceremony, where each person received a certificate, and commemorative pin badge.

Angela added: “Thank you to our event sponsor Tilbury Douglas and our gift in kind sponsor Central Print. We are so grateful they gave their support and worked with our charity, Raising Health to make this special event possible.”

Staff and volunteer profiles

The Long Service Awards celebrated decades of dedication to patient care, but one couple had an extra reason to celebrate.

Francisco (Fran) Guerra and Tracey Adair were both presented with awards marking 40 years in the NHS. The pair met while working at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit (BMHU) 26 years ago, beginning a relationship that would lead to marriage 14 years ago.

Their shared commitment to caring for others has seen them support patients, colleagues and each other throughout four decades of NHS service.

Fran began as a nursing assistant on an older person’s ward and is now a nurse consultant in LPT’s ADHD service.

He said: “From the first day I knew I was going to be a nurse for the rest of my life. Being a nurse really resonated with me and in that first role I had a great group who motivated me – and it didn’t help that both my parents were nurses as well!”

Tracey trained at Carlton Hayes Hospital 40 years ago and is now a clinical duty manager at BMHU.

Tracey said: “I remember my dad saying, ‘you’ll never make a nurse’ – so I’m still trying!

“I’ve stayed so long because what else would give me the privilege of caring for others?”

On their marriage and the benefits of both having such long NHS careers, Fran said: “Having that understanding of each other’s jobs really helps – at the end of the day before we completely switch off from work, we can have a bit of a ‘debrief’.”

Tracey added: “Nobody outside of nursing would understand what we do, some of the difficulties we go through in this line of work.”

Fran also offered advice for anyone starting their NHS career: “Look at those people who influence you – people who help pick you up and keep you going, when times are a bit tough it’s those people who then bolster you to do the next bit.

“I’ve been really lucky to meet a lot of influential people who have done that for me – not least of all Tracey.”

Also celebrated at the event were two of our volunteers.

Jenny Brown, who has been a breastfeeding support volunteer for five years, said: “It makes me happy to give mums advice and support with their breastfeeding journey. I see mums every week expressing relief that they can speak with someone who has been through similar hard times as them, and then receive support and advice on how to make their own experience easier. I would advise anyone who is considering volunteering to go for it. If they have discovered an area of health support where they believe they can help, they should explore further, as they could make a huge difference in someone else’s life.”

Margaret Warren has spent 15 years volunteering with our chaplaincy team after retiring as a nurse, she said: “When I retired I wanted to volunteer at a hospital near me. I really enjoy visiting patients with the chaplaincy team – over the years you have some very interesting conversations and can pray with them if they want you to.”

The Long Service Awards are just one of the ways LPT recognises the care and commitment shown by its staff and volunteers. The Trust also runs monthly Valued Star Awards, celebrating those who have gone above and beyond in bringing to life our core values of trust, integrity, compassion and respect. Nominations can be made for LPT staff or volunteers by colleagues or patients and service users at www.leicspart.nhs.uk/valuedstars.

In addition, the Trust’s nurses can be nominated for a coveted and internationally recognised DAISY Award (more details on how to nominate can be found on www.leicspart.nhs.uk/daisy) as well as the Trust’s annual Celebrating Excellence Awards, which acknowledge a huge range of achievements across LPT’s 5,600-strong workforce. This year, the Celebrating Excellence Awards will be held on Thursday 1 October at the Athena in Leicester, thanks to the generous sponsorship of local partners.

For more information about volunteering opportunities at LPT visit:  www.leicspart.nhs.uk/volunteering.