Phyliss Willmoth

A Tribute to Phyliss

Phyliss began her nursing journey in July 1983, when she started her training in Romford. On qualifying, she found her home in theatres, where she quickly discovered a passion for the environment and the unique role of the theatre nurse. At the time, she didn’t feel confident working on the wards, and so theatres became the place where she truly found her feet.

She went on to specialise in neurosurgery and later returned to Huntingdon for two years. Always willing to challenge herself and broaden her experience, Phyliss decided she wanted to experience ward nursing, beginning on an orthopaedic ward before venturing into urology. However, it soon became clear where her heart belonged! After discovering that ward nursing wasn’t for her, she famously begged for her job back in theatres.

Phyliss’s adventurous spirit then took her far beyond the hospital environment. She left nursing for a time to work on a farm, travelling between France and Germany, and even spent six months living within a Christian community in the Swiss Alps before returning to England.

Back at Hinchingbrooke, she began as a bank nurse in a nursing home before moving to the Cromwell Clinic, where she spent two years developing her skills in anaesthetics as well as surgery. She then spent a year at Guy’s, studying theatre, anaesthetics and recovery – an experience she absolutely loved.
Along the way, Phyliss met her husband, raised her children and eventually continued her nursing career in theatres at Eastbourne Hospital.

But Phyliss’s career is about far more than the places she has worked or the skills she has gained. At the heart of everything she has done is her compassion for others. She has always cared deeply for her patients, deeply for her colleagues and students treating them with kindness, dignity and genuine warmth, while making those around her feel valued and supported.

Phyliss is not only an incredibly experienced and dedicated nurse; she is a truly wonderful person. Her career is a testament to her resilience, curiosity, courage and compassion. She has touched the lives of countless patients and colleagues throughout her many years in nursing, and her contribution to the profession is something to be immensely proud of.

Phyliss, you are an absolute credit to nursing, and it is a privilege to call you a colleague.