After 45 years of dedication to the NHS, Paul Lewis, Specialist Services Engineer, looks back at an extraordinary career at the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI).
Paul’s NHS career began back on 15 September 1980aged just 16-years-old working as a porter, having just left school. He was too young to help move patients around, so one of his first jobs was to collect test samples for the pathology team.
Remembering his first job at the hospital, he said: “I had to go to each of the wards eight times a day to collect blood test samples and take them up to the pathology team. I worked as a porter for six years until September 1986 when I started as an electrical assistant – changing all the light bulbs across the LRI.”
In his mid-thirties, he decided to pursue an apprenticeship to become a fully qualified electrician. This decision marked a turning point in his career, and over the years, Paul progressed to working within the estates team as a new works project manager, before his current role as a specialist services engineer, overseeing critical systems such as the lift infrastructure.
Reflecting on his career, Paul said: “After leaving school at 16, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to go to college and take on an apprenticeship. The NHS gave me new challenges every day, and that’s what kept me motivated.”
In 1987, Paul met his wife, Ushma, who was working as a healthcare assistant (HCA) at the LRI. They married the same year and have a daughter, who had her twins at the LRI, completing a full circle of family connections to the hospital.
As Paul retires, he looks forward to the future with excitement. He plans to take his wife, who retired three years ago, and parents on a cruise in June.
He said: “Ushma and I have been on nearly 40 cruises all over the world. I’m looking forward to having some time to relax and spending time with my grandchildren before we finally get round to doing some long-delayed decorating at home.
“I’ve never worked anywhere else, and I’ll miss my friends and colleagues at the LRI. It’s going to take a while to get used to not being there. But I won’t miss that feeling at the end of my cruise, when you’re thinking about having to go back to work. I won’t miss that at all.”
Beyond his cruises, Paul also plans to become a hospital volunteer and get involved in the creative health and heritage opportunities at the Trust. He added: “I’ve spent so many years here, and I love the history of the hospital and its buildings. I think being a volunteer and being involved in the historical society will be a great way for me to continue contributing and stay involved.”