Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Careers in HRMovers and shakersThe HR profession

Career talk: Pat Wash

by Personnel Today 5 Jun 2006
by Personnel Today 5 Jun 2006

What is your current job?

I’m a locum OH adviser with Cheviot Recruitment working at several interesting sites.

What are the duties in your present role?

It has varied from dealing with the NHS to the police, commerce, the food industry and laboratories.

What do you hope to achieve in your role?

Continuous development of OH knowledge.

Where were you working before and what were your duties?

I was principal OH nursing advisor at North West London Hospitals Trust for 20 years.

What qualifications do you hold?

RGN, OHNC, Cert Tropical Medicine for Nurses (distinction).

What are the challenges occupational health professionals face in the next 10 years?

Being widely accepted in the public health arena.

What has helped you most in your career?

A wonderful team spirit with colleagues in the NHS.

What is the best career advice you have ever been given?

Have perseverance, cheerfulness and a sense of humour.

What is the most essential tool in your job?

Well-written policies to ensure the service is efficiently delivered at all times.

What advice would you give to people thinking of starting out or changing jobs in OH?

Go for it – OH in the workforce is exciting, varied, scientific and academic.

What is the best thing about OH?

Sheer variety of work and interacting with other professions.

And the worst?

Spreading oneself too thinly when there is so much to undertake and achieve.

What is the strangest situation you have been in at work?

When a sub-contractor window cleaner emerged from his basket into the OH department on the 10th floor, suffering a panic attack due to heights.

What is your essential TV viewing?

Channel 4.

What is your most popular web page?

N/A – I’m still terrified of my computer, it might bite me.

What was the last book you read?

I rarely make time to read popular fiction.

Who would play you in the film of your life and why?

Judi Dench – a great actress of my generation with a similar shape and appearance (vaguely).

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Who would you most like to be stuck in a lift with?

Tony Blair – we would discuss the NHS.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
University resorts to redundancies to fund lecturer pay rises
next post
Mental health-related absence costs more than £9bn a year

You may also like

Richard Tice: ‘pathetic’ to put HR manager in...

26 Jun 2025

Movers and shakers in HR: Asda, BBC, FSB,...

26 Jun 2025

HR underprepared for likely increase in M&A activity

24 Jun 2025

With HR absence rising, is your people team...

24 Jun 2025

HR and employment leaders feature in King’s birthday...

16 Jun 2025

HR professionals lack mental health support, risking burnout

9 Jun 2025

Charlie Mayfield: HR needs more proactive approach to...

29 May 2025

Why HR burnout is a strategic issue

12 May 2025

CIPD appoints expert in AI to boost support...

8 May 2025

Stress for HR specialists greater at larger organisations

2 May 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+