A VALUED staff member is set to retire after 49 years of service in the health sector. 

Susan Barry, who began her career as a typist, is preparing to retire.

Throughout her tenure at EPUT and its predecessor organisations, Susan has been an integral part of the health service.

Susan started her career on July 1, 1974, in a typing pool straight out of school at the age of 16.

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She transitioned into business manager roles, project management, and compliance before assuming her current position in 2017.

Over the years, Susan, 65, contributed to several significant projects including the establishment of mental health services in Essex in 1982.

At that time, the region lacked such facilities, with Severalls Hospital in Colchester serving as the nearest psychiatric institution.

Susan managed the development of the Linden Centre in Chelmsford, marking the first instance of regional health authorities permitting local healthcare units to lead their projects.

Her accomplishments extended to overseeing the construction of the Christopher Unit, a psychiatric intensive care unit adjacent to the Linden Centre, as well as numerous other new builds and refurbishments.

Reflecting on her extensive experience, Susan highlighted the remarkable progress witnessed in the NHS over the past five decades.

She said: "I have seen some big changes during my time in the NHS.

"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."

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Susan noted healthcare has become faster-paced and more regulated over time, with increasingly complex health needs.

Despite these changes, she has always embraced new challenges and continuously sought knowledge.

She continued: "You’ve got to be passionate about what you do and I have always tried to give 110 per cent to what I do. 

"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."