Publish date: 27 September 2023
Bernadette Powell, Professional Lead for Occupational Therapy Community Care Division, retires this week.
Bernie began her working life as a Clerical Assistant in Liverpool City Council, working in the social services deptartment in 1981. This role saw her working alongside OTs and her interest in the profession grew from there. When an OT Assistant post became available she applied and was successful. She later applied for the part-time OT degree course at Salford University and continued to work in her role as OT assistant whilst completing her studies. Uponn graduating, Bernie took up the post of Community OT for Liverpool City Council working there for three years before applying to the NHS to join a new team that was being developed in the community - The Community Intermediate Care Team (CICT).
She began working for the NHS in 2001 working in bed based units and was part of the rehab team which worked to support hospital avoidance and aid the flow of patients from hospital to home. After several years in the CICT team Bernie moved to a community domiciliary rehab post in Knowsley PCT, as it was known then, moving from a Band 6 to Band 7 Team lead position. She continued to work with patients in their own homes and carried out rehab programmes with patients with the support of social care workers.
Following an organisational review she was assigned to St Helens Reablement Team.
She joined the South Sefton Community OT Team three years later and worked there for a couple of years before being promoted to a Specialist Falls Therapist within the Community Falls Team in Liverpool. After a year in the Falls Team the Clinical Lead for COTART and Falls Team became vacant and Bernie took up this post for three years until her most recent appointment as Professional Lead for OT in Community Care Division.
Bernie is looking forward to spending more time with her family but she’ll be sadly missed by her NHS family. We wish her a long healthy and happy retirement and thank her for her service.