Posted on: 11 June 2020
Di Hurley first began her career in Occupational Therapy in Mental Health at Greenwich District Hospital (since demolished) in 1981.
It was five years later when she relocated to North West London, after she fancied a change of specialty. Di began working at St Charles Hospital on its medical wards for older adults.
Following this role, Di moved to Northwick Park Hospital where she worked on all its orthopaedic, medical and surgical wards.
In 1993, Di began to miss working in mental health, so joined CNWL (crossing from one building in the same hospital) where she worked in the Mental Health Unit‘s Day Hospital.
She said: “I was the only clinical grade OT at the time and I was proud and privileged to be around to see our OT numbers grow nicely over the next few years. I loved it because it allowed you the scope to deliver personalised and intensive therapy programmes to the patients who attended.”
Di, who is retiring from her post as Head Occupational Therapist for Harrow has played an important leading role in helping the Trust to go smoke free and on physical health work.
Since working in CNWL for 25 years she says her most enjoyable experience has been the opportunity for research and development, writing for publication and teaching, mainly around health promotion.
She said: “CNWL and also the Recovery and Wellbeing College allowed me to indulge my passion for promoting physical health and well-being including such topics as sleep, smoking cessation and physical activity.
Di (pictured left) with colleague, Spencer Soilleux and the smoking cessation trolley on the wards.
My strong conviction is that if we can help our patients to get the lifestyle basics on the right track, then the therapies we offer will be much more effective. If we fail, then our best efforts will be undermined.”
With a total of 39 years dedicated to the NHS, Di says many changes have been for the better, although the level of complexity and challenge involved in our working lives has grown hugely and sometimes frustratingly so.
She said: “In those smaller-scale days, we did not even have computers and everything was still done on paper, but we had many more skilled admin staff to help us do things we clinical people weren’t especially good at!
Now we are facing our toughest test yet - coping with the Covid19 virus. My deepest admiration and gratitude goes out to my front-line colleagues who are facing this.”
Before lockdown, Di’s retirement plans included running fitness and pilates sessions, and even training to be hypno-birthing practitioner.
Di has worked a total of 39 years in the NHS
Di plans to keep in touch with colleagues, as she’s joined our CNWL bank and plans to offer staff training and some volunteering.
She said: “What I’ll miss most will be the wonderful and inspirational people I have worked with over the years, and learned so much from. So many shared laughs too! Saying goodbye in the midst of a lockdown has been hard - all the more so, because no hugs can be shared!”
Dr Ed Beveridge, Consultant Psychiatrist and Trust Clinical Lead for Physical Health in Mental Health has worked closely with Di over the years.
He said: “Di’s name has become synonymous for many of us with health promotion for mental health service users and smoking cessation in particular. Not only is she a fount of knowledge, but she is a formidable advocate for our patients, tireless in making sure they are treated with true parity of esteem with the rest of the population. I’ve learnt a huge amount from working with her, and her legacy – a smoke free trust – is one I hope she will be proud of”
We will miss you Di!