Better Health For All

I retired from my main career within the public health system because I had stopped enjoying many elements of it; the benefits were not refuelling the tank that was being drained by the disbenefits I was experiencing.

Since retirement, I have taken two very part time roles. I was asked to stay on as a clinical advisor to the bloodspot screening programme for one day a week. This was complicated since the screening programmes also transitioned to NSHEI when PHE was abolished. It has taken me until now to be able to link in to some of the NHSEI Public Health arrangements and structures – over six months. I have also taken a role as Training Programme Director in the newly established Kent Surrey and Sussex School of Public Health, for half a day a week. This has been way smoother in comparison to the NHSEI role.

Having two part time roles makes it difficult to switch off from work sometimes, and I log in most days to check emails. Both roles are flexibly worked rather than having set times which I greatly prefer but which does allow the time spent on work topics to inexorably increase. I have started to book other things into my diary to keep this under control, and now spend more time catching up with friends, visiting art galleries, going to gigs, reading more and finally sorting the house and garden out. My longer term plans to travel more are starting to feel possible again as the covid situation eases, and meanwhile we have a summer of music festivals booked. My confident expectation that I would exercise more when I no longer had to rush to fit a swim in to an already long day hasn’t happened though. With all day to fritter away I some how haven’t got around to much exercise at all, and have started to book into more classes to make myself get more active.

My next decisions will need to be how long to continue in the part time roles I have. I feel I add less and less value to these roles as my other organisational knowledge becomes more and more out of date, and the effort of keeping up with requirements such as appraisal seems less justified. I suspect I will not be doing any formal work in a few years time, and am greatly looking forward to learning how to make cider from Dilys. My one attempt so far developed a very strange smell – will be trying again this year.

Jane Scarlett