BRADFORD Royal Infirmary (BRI) has said farewell to a nursing colleague who thought of the hospital as her second family.
Raquel Policarpio, 51, who was a staff nurse on Ward 11 at Bradford Royal Infirmary, died earlier this month following a long battle with cancer. She had retired due to ill health in April following an 18-year nursing career at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Raquel, who was originally from the Philippines, joined the Trust after moving to the UK from Singapore. She had many friends both in Bradford’s Filipino community and from all walks of life.
Her good friend, Marsha Aguilar, a staff nurse on Ward 21, paid tribute to Raquel as a dedicated and well-respected nurse who absolutely loved her job, colleagues and patients and thought of everyone at BRI as her second family.
Special care
“Even patients remember her for the special care she gave them. She really did touch everyone with her kindness and friendliness,” said Marsha.
Raquel and Marsha joined the Trust together after moving to the UK from Singapore where they became friends. They both worked for the NHS in London first but moved to Bradford where they found a great sense of community and loved being part of the BRI team.
Chief Nurse, Karen Dawber, said Raquel was a much-loved and well-known character at BRI, who was one of the Trust’s many dedicated staff from the Filipino community.
“Her enthusiasm and passion for the patient was evident and even when she retired she still wanted to return to work as a volunteer, continuing to help staff and patients. It has been an honour to have Raquel as a member of nursing staff at the hospital; she will be sadly missed by all.”
Raquel’s funeral took place on Monday (29 June) and colleagues from BRI stood on the roadside to pay their respects and say a final goodbye as the cortege passed the hospital.
ENDS