05 Jul Essex Staff member to retire after 49 years of service
From working as a typist to project managing the build of a new mental health unit, Susan Barry has had a varied 49-year career in the NHS.
She retires later this month, having spent her entire career working for EPUT and its predecessor organisations, serving the communities of mid Essex.
Susan semi-retired in 2014 to work part time, before returning to full time work in her current role as head of assurance.
Her job involves managing the Trust’s risk registers and policies, which are essential to the delivery of services and how the Trust operates.
Susan began her career on 1 July 1974, the same year that area health authorities were created.
“I started off in a humble typing pool at 16, straight from school,” she said.
“I always used to get involved in the work I was doing and take the initiative and when you do that, there is always scope for moving up.”
She moved into business manager roles, project management and compliance, before moving into her current role in 2017.
During her career, Susan has worked on several large projects including setting up mental health services in mid Essex in 1982.
There were none in the area at that time and the nearest psychiatric hospital was Severalls in Colchester.
She said: “We had one community mental health psychiatric nurse and it evolved from there.
“That turned into the project to build the Linden Centre in Chelmsford, which I managed. That was the first time the regional health authorities had allowed the local health care unit to run its own project.”
Susan also worked on the project to build the Christopher Unit, a psychiatric intensive care unit near the Linden Centre, and managed a number of other new builds and refurbishments.
“I have seen some big changes during my time in the NHS,” she said.
“In the 1970s, the first time I went to Severalls Hospital people were still wearing strait jackets. Things have come a very long way in 50 years.
“The Linden Centre has also evolved to deliver more high acuity care.”
She said healthcare has also become more fast paced and more regulated since she first joined the NHS, and people’s health needs have also become more complex.
Susan has always been keen to take on new challenges and learn new things.
“I did a masters degree in healthcare management in 2011. I never went to university so academic writing was a bit of a shock and working full time and doing an MSc was tricky.
“But I did it slowly but surely.
“You’ve got to be passionate about what you do and I have always tried to give 110 per cent to what I do. I have never gone into a role lightly.
“When you work in an area such as risk registers, if you’re not passionate about it, it’s very hard to get people to do what you need them to do.”
“Working in corporate functions, we support the frontline staff to do the best they can and manage the risks we have every day.
“We’re pretty important cogs in the wheel.”
