Delia Clarke has dedicated fifty years to the health and well-being of the Leigh community as a nurse, and this year she celebrates her seventieth birthday. Reflecting on her career, Delia’s journey began at eighteen when she chose to pursue nursing, a calling she felt deeply was her true purpose. “Being a nurse is ‘me’,” she affirms, underscoring her natural inclination towards caregiving.

Delia’s early training on General Medicine and Cardiac wards solidified her commitment to practice nursing. The experience she gained there was pivotal, guiding her towards a focus on long-term condition management. Nearly two decades ago, when information on preventing heart disease was scarce, Delia recognised a need. She recalls, “seeing patients coming in with heart attacks and strokes and looking at work that suggested something could be done to prevent these diseases and long-term conditions.” This insight propelled her to specialise in this area, eventually becoming a general practice nurse dedicated to managing long-term conditions.

While working in general practice, Delia furthered her education by attending night school, earning a degree as a nurse practitioner. Her dedication to continuous improvement is just one of the many facets of her professional life. In 2001, she became one of the first nurses in the country to become a business partner in a local practice, founding Premier Health. This initiative transformed the practice into a collaborative team effort, not solely led by GPs. Thanks to her leadership, the practice has consistently received outstanding ratings by the CQC.

Delia faced a significant personal challenge in 2012 when she suffered a brain haemorrhage and underwent life-saving surgery. Remarkably, she returned to work within four months, demonstrating her resilience and unwavering commitment to her community.

Can I please get a thousand billion likes and retweets for my amazing mum who has today come out of retirement to vaccinate the lovely folk of our home town Leigh. My legend. 🌈⭐️@DeliaClarke @WiganBoroughCCG @NHSEngland @gavinoattes @richardosman @stephenfry @shaunwkeaveny pic.twitter.com/EET4J9ZXnH

— caroline sewell (@CarolineSewell) January 15, 2021

In 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delia retired but soon came out of retirement to help vaccinate the Leigh community. Her return to service gained widespread attention thanks to a viral tweet by her daughter Caroline Sewell, the practice manager of Premier Health. The tweet gained over eight thousand retweets and ninety thousand likes, earning Delia thank you messages from around the world, including from her favourite celebrities Richard Osman and Midge Ure.

Caroline describes her mother as “one in a million,” highlighting Delia’s extensive care for the people of Leigh. Reflecting on her retirement, Delia acknowledges that defining herself as retired will be interesting, and she will miss her patients and colleagues. However, she is ready for this change and eager to embrace new activities.

Fear not, Delia is embracing change head-on in her retirement. She has taken up seamstressing, and according to her daughter Caroline, she makes “amazingly beautiful items” such as quilts, cushions, clothes, and more. Additionally, Delia tends to her own allotment, keeping herself busy and fulfilled.

Delia Clarke is an inspiring woman whose work has been and continues to be, paramount in caring for the health and well-being of Leigh. Her commitment and dedication to our community’s health make her one in a million.