When Therapy Assistant Practitioner, Pete McBride retired recently from the ReACH team he ended a long and varied career where he worked as a miner, then a long distance lorry driver before joining the NHS where he has worked for the past 26 years.
Pete’s coal industry days were at Solsgirth Colliery but with the closure of the mines, he accepted redundancy and re-trained as a long-distance lorry driver, ferrying Scottish scallops and prawns to the huge fish markets in Boulogne. But with a young daughter, and away from home a week at a time, he decided after a year to quit and find a job locally. He started work in the NHS as an auxiliary in Sauchie and subsequently became a Therapy Assistant Practitioner with the ReACH Forth Valley Specialist Rehabilitation Team.
Pete’s role predominantly involved supporting and carrying out rehabilitation programmes developed by the AHPs in the team – speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. He has also supported the Tone Management Service for many years, alongside the rehabilitation consultant and physiotherapists and has volunteered to work many weekends across the years, supporting the community weekend service provided by the ReACH locality teams.
AHP Team Lead/SLT, Mary Henretty, explained: “We work predominantly in the community with people who have acquired or progressive neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis, stroke and brain injuries, to help them achieve their goals and manage their health conditions.
“Pete was a long-serving and much-valued team member with a warm heart and a great sense of humour. He was always generous with his time and expertise, and we wish him a long and happy retirement.”
Pete says he is now going to “chill” for a couple of months and spend time with his four granddaughters, but he hasn’t ruled out a fourth change of career after being ‘headhunted’ for a part time job with a pharmacy chain!
