The nursing and care community is mourning the loss of Meg Turner, a devoted ward sister and trainer whose career in health and social care spanned more than 30 years. She has died at the age of 79.
A Dedicated Career in Nursing and Care
Meg Turner's journey into nursing began in 1964 when she started her training to become a state registered nurse at the Tunbridge Wells School of Nursing in Kent. Her passion for care took her to several hospitals across the south of England. She worked at the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton and undertook midwifery training in Taunton, Somerset.
Her career reached a significant milestone in 1970 when she was appointed as a ward sister at Dorchester hospital, which is now known as Dorset County hospital. It was here she met her future husband, who was working in the hospital kitchen at the time. The couple married in 1971.
Memorable Stories from the Ward
In her later years, Meg was known for entertaining friends with a rich collection of anecdotes from her time on the wards. One memorable tale involved a patient who, during a ward round attended by the hospital almoner from a county family, struggled to her feet and performed a curtsy. The gesture of traditional Dorset deference reportedly left even the consultant taken aback.
Another story featured the writer and broadcaster Kenneth Allsop, who as a patient took it upon himself to correct the English on his own hospital discharge form.
Life in Wales and a Second Career in Training
In 1978, Meg and her family relocated to south-west Wales after her husband secured a lecturing post at Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest. With two young children, Meg returned to part-time nursing in 1980, working on a care of the elderly ward at Withybush hospital.
Her career evolved again after a few years when she left the NHS to become matron of Langton Hall, a residential home in Fishguard. Building on this hands-on experience, she gained a teaching certificate and moved into training future care workers. She lectured at Pembrokeshire College and for organisations such as Rathbone Community Industry, shaping the next generation of the care workforce until her retirement in 1999.
Born in Carlisle to Clarisse (nee Moorhouse) and Jack Burgess, a decorator, Meg was raised in the East Sussex village of Five Ashes. She attended Heathfield secondary school before embarking on her nursing training.
Despite increasing immobility after retirement, she remained active in community life, joining the local Women’s Institute and the University of the Third Age. Her lifelong loves of poetry, crafts, crosswords, and word games brought joy to countless friends and were passions she maintained almost until the end. She was bedbound with arthritis for her final three years.
Meg Turner is survived by her husband, their daughter Saffrwn, son Edryd, and grandchildren Briallu, Eilir, Gwenllian, and Delun.
