Nurse serves Southend community for 34 years

Nurse Doris Dokpoh has served the Southend community for 34 years - but has no plans to put her feet up when she retires from the NHS later this year.

The 65-year-old has worked night shifts for the last 18 years in her community nursing role, while running her own domiciliary care agency in her spare time for the last ten years.

All profits she makes from her care agency goes towards her charity project in Ghana, where she is building a diagnostic assessment centre in Kasoa, in the Central Region.

In addition, she runs free coffee mornings once a week for older people in Southend to relieve social isolation, and has also organised barbecues for them. She is hoping to expand the weekly coffee mornings and potentially set up a day care centre.

Although Doris will be retiring from the NHS four days before Christmas, she will continue her other work and projects in what she describes as “a fulfilling phase of my life.”

Doris, who also finds time to organise fundraising events for her charity projects, said: “I am the first one in my family to go into nursing. When I was at my secondary school in Ghana, I just wanted to be able to help people.

“Maybe it is because of my faith. The story of the Good Samaritan inspired my attraction to nursing. I thought ‘how can I be a good Samaritan?’ and I quickly realised that through nursing you can help people who are in need.”

Doris trained as a nurse in Ghana before coming to the UK to specialise as a theatre nurse. She was a team leader at Southend Hospital’s operating theatres before switching to adult community nursing in 2000.

For the last 18 years, she has led our night nursing services team in Southend, who provide out of hours urgent care for people who would otherwise need to be admitted to hospital.

This can be problems such as a blocked catheter, or treating people who are receiving palliative care and need medication for pain relief and symptom control.

“We cover a large area. You can clock up 100 miles on a busy night shift,” said Doris, who has a biological son and four adopted children.

“Had it not been for the night service, anyone with a blocked catheter would end up in A&E. We go to between ten and 15 calls for blocked catheters some nights.”

Caring for others is Doris’ mission and the diagnostic centre she is building in Ghana will screen people for diseases and conditions such as prostate and breast cancers, diabetes and high blood pressure. It will also look after malnourished children and provide rehabilitation for people who have had strokes.

The ground floor is nearly built but there’s still a long way to go.

“It needs loads of money, at least £150,000, but what I keep saying to myself is I need to see it completed in my lifetime,” said Doris, whose siblings and wider family live in Ghana.

As she counts down to her official retirement, she is grateful for the friends she has made for life during her time in the NHS and the opportunities she has had to further her knowledge.

She has been determined to gain as much knowledge and training as possible during her career, and has completed numerous courses including a BSc in nursing, nurse prescribing, postgraduate diploma in community practice, and a masters degree in advance nursing practice.

October is Black History Month and this year’s theme is Saluting our Sisters, which highlights the crucial role that black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change, and building communities.

She believes there is still more to be done to promote meaningful equality, diversity and inclusion in society.

“You just have to be determined and shout loud until you are heard and stand up for your rights.

“They talk about equality and diversity and they are trying, but they are not trying hard enough.

“So when they say equality and diversity, they should mean it. How much are they encouraging and supporting the minority to climb the ladder?

“I did my masters degree because I met someone who tutored me on my diploma in nursing and BSc in nursing - she believed in me encouraged me to do it.

“You need people like that to encourage you along the way and hang on to that person, seek advice from that person, or seek advice from people who have been on that journey for guidance and direction.”

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