A fond farewell to Carolyn Fowler, Director of Nursing
On Wednesday 16 July, NCH&C wished a fond farewell to Carolyn Fowler, our Director of Nursing, who retired after a 43-year career in the NHS, including six years at NCH&C.
Colleagues gathered in the Mulberry Garden at Norwich Community Hospital on Wednesday for a farewell tea party to celebrate Carolyn's time at the trust and deliver their best wishes for the future.
Carolyn has worked for community, acute, and mental health services in the NHS. She joined NCH&C just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she lived away from her family to support our frontline services and the wider Norfolk and Waveney health and care system. Her dedication to fostering a culture of openness and transparency, where people felt encouraged to speak up, earned her the respect and trust of many. Carolyn has remained a familiar face in our teams and has always viewed this as a vital part of her job, taking time to speak with patients, support staff, and stepping in to help whenever needed.
Carolyn says: Working at NCH&C and with people and communities across Norfolk and Waveney has been one of the greatest honours of my career. It is an incredible Trust, and I have met and worked with amazing people. I am so proud of all we have achieved together and am deeply grateful for the dedication, passion, innovation, and resilience of our teams. The progress we've made, the challenges we've overcome, and our shared purpose in improving patient care have made my time here truly meaningful.
When I joined NCH&C in 2019, one of the many things that attracted me to the role was the opportunity to empower staff at all levels - to lay the foundation for excellent patient care by ensuring that patients, carers, and families are safe, cared for, and listened to. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with our staff to achieve this.
This feels like the right time for me to retire, and I wish everyone the very best as the Trust moves into its next chapter. Thank you to all my wonderful colleagues that I've had the privilege to work alongside over the last six years.
NCH&C CEO, Matthew Winn, says: I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Carolyn for her authentic and passionate leadership at NCH&C and with partner organisations. I know that many of you will share my deep admiration for her unwavering commitment to us delivering outstanding care. We wish Carolyn all the best in her next chapter.
Best of luck to Carolyn on her retirement!