A radiographer has retired from working in the radiology department at the South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust after 60 years in the profession.
Patricia Beamish celebrated her 80th birthday in October last year. After having tried to retire several times over the course of her career, Ms Beamish decided “the time was right” to leave the profession in February of this year.
Sixty years of radiography
Ms Beamish has spent 60 years in radiography, and 37 years in the South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT).
After qualifying in 1963 from Birmingham General Hospital, she remained with the trust for three years, before moving to Birmingham Women’s Hospital (BWH) in 1966, where she was head of the radiology department.
Ms Beamish worked there for four years before taking a 12-year break to have her two sons.
She then returned to work at BWH for a further four years, before her family moved to Stratford in 1986.
It was there Ms Beamish began her “long association”, firstly with Stratford Hospital, and then at Warwick Hospital, with the SWFT.
'Lifelong learner'
Coworkers described Ms Beamish as a “lifelong learner,” as she updated her diploma in radiography to a BSc in Health Sciences in 1999.
Leigh-Anne Keyte, DEXA and mammography lead radiographer at the SWFT, said: “Pat was an integral part of the Fluoroscopy and Plain Film teams and was always happy to teach and share her great skills and professionalism with students and junior colleagues. The radiology team will all miss Pat very much and we wish her a very happy retirement!”
(Image: Pat Beamish, via South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust)