A HAMPSHIRE nurse has received a top award after working 60-hour shifts during the pandemic.

Lin Silvestri, who has been in the profession for half a century, was presented with the Chief Nursing Officer's Silver Award in a surprise ceremony.

Lin was 17 when she began her career at the Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital in Alton in 1971.

After 30 years in the NHS, including spells at the Royal South Hants Hospital and Southampton General Hospital, she spent three years nursing in Saudi Arabia.

She has worked for independent healthcare provider Spire Southampton since 2004.

A Spire Healthcare spokesperson said: "Lin worked tirelessly during the pandemic to care for NHS cancer patients who received treatment at Spire Southampton.

"Together with her team, Lin made patients with some of the most critical conditions feel welcome and comfortable.

"Her dedication to patient safety and infection control helped ensure there were no cases of Covid in her unit for a year."

The spokesperson said 60-hour shifts were a regular occurrence at the time.

They added: "Lin is one of a handful of nurses around the country to have been awarded the Chief Nursing Officer’s Silver Award, which recognises outstanding care and service."

Fiona Taylor, Hospital Director at Spire Southampton, added: "Lin is a true star. She has an instinctive knowledge of what every patient needs and how to match their needs with the best care.

“At the start of the pandemic, her team was fairly inexperienced, with many having only just arrived from overseas.

"She was able to provide comfort and the benefit of her years of expertise, drawing from her experience of working abroad, to help them feel at home.

“At a time in which we owe so much to all our nurses, Lin represents everything that is great about nursing.”

Prof Deborah Sturdy, England’s Chief Nurse for Adult and Social Care, presented Lin with her award on behalf of the Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May.

She said: “Lin has shown a true commitment to providing the best possible care to patients throughout her career.

"I would like to thank Lin for her phenomenal contribution over the last 50 years.”