When sisters Meena and Razwana (Raz) Bashir began their careers as newly qualified nurses at Bradford Teaching Hospitals in 2003, they never imagined that their choice of profession would inspire so many members of their extended family to follow the same path.
More than two decades later, eight additional relatives have gone on to join the NHS, turning their work at the city’s hospitals into a remarkable family legacy.
Despite being five years apart in age, Clinical Site Matron Meena, 53, and her younger sister, Renal Matron Raz, 49, trained together at the University of Bradford, beginning their nursing degrees in 2000. They graduated in 2003 and joined Bradford Teaching Hospitals on the same day.
Meena as a staff nurse on an acute medical ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) and Raz as a renal nurse at St Luke’s Hospital. Both have worked for the Trust ever since.
Raz said: “Graduating together was a very proud day for our parents. We started work on the same day in 2003 and later became matrons together. We are the first generation in our family to go into nursing and we’ve now been at the Trust for 22 years. We absolutely love our jobs.”
Over the years, the sisters’ dedication has inspired several relatives to join the Trust. Meena now works primarily night shifts as a Clinical Site Matron, overseeing patient flow from admission to discharge through the Trust’s command centre.
She said: “I’ve worked for the NHS for 22 years and absolutely love my job. I’ve worked my way up and now manage a large team. My colleagues feel like family as we live the values of the Trust together. It’s a great place to work and it’s amazing to share that experience with my family. We always work professionally, but we’re incredibly proud to work for the NHS and Bradford Teaching Hospitals.”
In recent years, Meena’s daughters have also joined the Trust. Aneeka Bashir, 30, a law graduate, works day shifts as a temporary switchboard operator, while Chand Uzair, 26, a student nurse, has worked part-time on the switchboard every weekend for the past eight years. Chand hopes to secure full-time employment with the Trust after graduating in January 2026.
Aneeka said: “My mum encouraged me to apply because she loves working here. I went through the application process and was delighted to get the job.”
Chand added: “I was very poorly as a child with asthma and spent a lot of time on the children’s ward. Seeing what the nurses did inspired me to give something back, and I can’t wait to work at the Trust once I graduate.”
Meena and Raz’s cousin, Svara Razak, has worked at the Trust for nearly 15 years and is now ward manager of elective surgical ward 11 at BRI. She qualified in 2009 and credits her cousins with supporting her career development.
She said: “We grew up together, and Meena and Raz have always supported me with interview advice and career guidance. It’s reassuring working alongside family, you always have support and someone to turn to.”
Svara’s sister-in-law, Shamim Akhtar, has worked at the Trust for 25 years and is a stroke responder nurse on ward 6’s stroke unit. Another cousin, Nyla Hussain, is an Emergency Department Nurse Practitioner at BRI and joined the Trust in 2000.
Two years ago, Meena and Raz were joined by their sister-in-law, Noreen, who is Deputy General Manager of Anaesthetics, Theatres and Critical Care. Noreen’s daughter, Romessa Nawaz, also works at the Trust as a Physician Associate on ward 4 Acute Medical Unit and has been employed there for almost seven years.
Romessa said: “I enjoy working on the acute medical unit because it’s fast-paced and no two days are the same. I’m constantly developing my skills and it’s lovely to be part of such a supportive multidisciplinary team.”
Meena’s niece, Aminah Hussain, has also been part of the Trust for three years and works as a Healthcare Assistant on ward 9.
Chief Executive Professor Mel Pickup said the family’s story reflected the strong sense of community within the NHS in Bradford.
He said: “There have long been families with multiple generations working in our hospitals. It highlights how the NHS can feel like a close-knit community built on service. We thank the Bashir family for their enduring kindness and compassion towards patients and hope their contribution continues for many years to come.”
