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Old 30 Oct 20, 06:07 PM  
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#41
MinniMouse
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Apart from the usual jobs in school holidays ie berry picking, tattie picking and working p/time in local shop I've only ever worked in admin. The biggest change for me was from learning to touch type on manual typewriters at school, to college where they had electric typewriters (no more tippex paint as there was a ribbon of tippex!) to computers. When I went back to the health centre where I once worked before I had my children it was all paper notes, handwritten blood forms, appointment books etc, the only thing done on computer were prescriptions. It's all computerised now, prescriptions. coding patients notes, emailing, electronic filing etc. Love my job, the only downside is passwords, so many to remember
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Old 30 Oct 20, 06:22 PM  
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Andy C
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During the Falklands, my Desk Officer (from the Personnel people) phoned me up. This is never good news. He explained to me that before Engineering Officer Training Phase 2, he had to fill a short gap.

At RAF Buchan.

He was very understanding about my choice of words. Five minutes later, I'd managed to swear non stop without repeating myself, and acquiesced.

Not that I had much choice in the matter.

Four months back at Buchan running the Contracts Management Team ensued. Then, gratefully, I packed my bags and returned to the joys of RAF Cranditz Cranwell in Lincolnshire. The Desk Officer came up to speak to us about our next postings, and told me that I was owed a good one.

As a space geek, I asked for RAF Oakhanger, and, after umming and ahing and offering me Ramstein in Germany, and then Cyprus (and being shocked that I turned both down. I mean, they sounded fun, but I'd already lost one long-term relationship through being posted hither and yon; what chance would I have of settling down at either of those?), he managed to pull some strings and I wended my way to Bordon in Hampshire, sharing a mess with the people from REME ("Ruin Everything Mechanical and Electrical") and going through Spacecraft Operations Training.

To promptly take over as Officer Commanding the Spacecraft Operations Flight. I barely got to send any commands to the Skynet spacecraft before teaching the course (I did get to go over to California for the in-depth course, though, and managed to get agreement to take a week's leave at the end of the course. Where I promptly drove south to LA and took in Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Magic Mountain).

I met my wife and married while I was there, and, after a couple of years, was posted to HQ Logistics Command at Brampton. Three years there on "Airfield Operating Systems" (seriously - Air Defence Radars, Spacecraft and Satellite Communications, Airfield Systems? They meant it when they said I'd get a wide background); my original posting was derailed thanks to something called the Airfield Radars Integration Project.

Which I can't go into detail about here, but it was linked to our response to 9/11. And should never have been given to a lowly Flight Lieutenant (it should have been a Wing Commander leading it, but the AOS IPT, having historically just been about support rather than acquisition, had everything run one rank down, even though we'd just had acquisition added to our portfolio. And my boss was overworked, had an energetic Flight Lieutenant who was badgering him for something meaningful to do, and I got lumbered with trying to boss around people two ranks above me on an implausibly rapid project that had tens of thousands of lives riding on it).

I discovered a few things about blood pressure during that time. My contractors got through three Project Managers in the time due to the pressure leaking down on them. Fortunately, it all worked out. During the same time, Iraq War II happened, and I was roped in to managing the "Tactical Radar Display Cabins" that they were hurriedly developing to take out to Basra so civilian relief planes could fly in. I was expecting to go out with them, but for some bizarre reason, HQ STC told me I couldn't be allowed to go as the work on ARIP was too important and sent a civilian instead.

I will never understand the decision-making there.

I then was sent off to HQ Strike Command at High Wycombe to work on a secure deployable IT system called RAFCCIS. Because of course it was totally different to anything I'd done before. Nothing really interesting happened, except that I got handpicked to take a "starred" appointment. This involved:
- A Masters Degree course, fully paid for by the military
- A guaranteed promotion to Squadron Leader (a senior officer rank).

Would I like to take it?

Obviously I bit his hand off at the wrist.

(I'm starting to think I'm going into too much depth here; these are getting a bit long and I'm only up to 2006)
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Old 30 Oct 20, 06:46 PM  
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dippiedawnie
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I’m into my 32nd year in the NHS. Trained as an Occupational Therapist when no one had heard of them and it was a doddle to get a job.
I’ve moved through the ranks and now one of the regularly bashed pen pushers!🤣
Seen lots of changes including 3 national restructures which moved a lot of people around but basically care continues. We commission differently and the duty to provide is now closer to services than all at a national level but the everyday OT a pen pushers jobs are the same. Things do happen quicker now generally like getting people discharged and alot of the treatments have changed but still good, compassionate care is central. There is also a big push now to personalise care and ensure people are central to the decisions made about their care but it doesn’t always happen. There is also a broader understanding about how none medical factors can impact on a persons health like housing, work etc. To try and support people to stop them ending up needing care the NHS now invests in things like social prescribing to help prevent situations getting worse as that saves money overall. Lots of arguments about this stuff though-if I had a pound for every time I had heard someone say “is that a health or social care responsibility” I could have retired years ago.😂 Let’s see what the next 10 years bring
I don’t regret any of it and if I had my time again I would do it all again.
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Old 30 Oct 20, 06:54 PM  
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BucksBugsy
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Originally Posted by Andy C View Post
During the Falklands, my Desk Officer (from the Personnel people) phoned me up. This is never good news. He explained to me that before Engineering Officer Training Phase 2, he had to fill a short gap.

At RAF Buchan.

He was very understanding about my choice of words. Five minutes later, I'd managed to swear non stop without repeating myself, and acquiesced.

Not that I had much choice in the matter.

Four months back at Buchan running the Contracts Management Team ensued. Then, gratefully, I packed my bags and returned to the joys of RAF Cranditz Cranwell in Lincolnshire. The Desk Officer came up to speak to us about our next postings, and told me that I was owed a good one.

As a space geek, I asked for RAF Oakhanger, and, after umming and ahing and offering me Ramstein in Germany, and then Cyprus (and being shocked that I turned both down. I mean, they sounded fun, but I'd already lost one long-term relationship through being posted hither and yon; what chance would I have of settling down at either of those?), he managed to pull some strings and I wended my way to Bordon in Hampshire, sharing a mess with the people from REME ("Ruin Everything Mechanical and Electrical") and going through Spacecraft Operations Training.

To promptly take over as Officer Commanding the Spacecraft Operations Flight. I barely got to send any commands to the Skynet spacecraft before teaching the course (I did get to go over to California for the in-depth course, though, and managed to get agreement to take a week's leave at the end of the course. Where I promptly drove south to LA and took in Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Magic Mountain).

I met my wife and married while I was there, and, after a couple of years, was posted to HQ Logistics Command at Brampton. Three years there on "Airfield Operating Systems" (seriously - Air Defence Radars, Spacecraft and Satellite Communications, Airfield Systems? They meant it when they said I'd get a wide background); my original posting was derailed thanks to something called the Airfield Radars Integration Project.

Which I can't go into detail about here, but it was linked to our response to 9/11. And should never have been given to a lowly Flight Lieutenant (it should have been a Wing Commander leading it, but the AOS IPT, having historically just been about support rather than acquisition, had everything run one rank down, even though we'd just had acquisition added to our portfolio. And my boss was overworked, had an energetic Flight Lieutenant who was badgering him for something meaningful to do, and I got lumbered with trying to boss around people two ranks above me on an implausibly rapid project that had tens of thousands of lives riding on it).

I discovered a few things about blood pressure during that time. My contractors got through three Project Managers in the time due to the pressure leaking down on them. Fortunately, it all worked out. During the same time, Iraq War II happened, and I was roped in to managing the "Tactical Radar Display Cabins" that they were hurriedly developing to take out to Basra so civilian relief planes could fly in. I was expecting to go out with them, but for some bizarre reason, HQ STC told me I couldn't be allowed to go as the work on ARIP was too important and sent a civilian instead.

I will never understand the decision-making there.

I then was sent off to HQ Strike Command at High Wycombe to work on a secure deployable IT system called RAFCCIS. Because of course it was totally different to anything I'd done before. Nothing really interesting happened, except that I got handpicked to take a "starred" appointment. This involved:
- A Masters Degree course, fully paid for by the military
- A guaranteed promotion to Squadron Leader (a senior officer rank).

Would I like to take it?

Obviously I bit his hand off at the wrist.

(I'm starting to think I'm going into too much depth here; these are getting a bit long and I'm only up to 2006)
I found this fascinating reading- thank you. Although I have never been an MOD employee I found myself reading the list of sites you visited and I have been to a lot of them (and quite a few yiu haven't mentioned)

Once again thanks for sharing

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