From ambulance technician to therapist – John retires after impressive 50 year career in the NHS

John Webb, a therapy service lead at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), retires this week after a remarkable 50 years working for the NHS.

John’s career has been a varied one – from working on London’s ambulances, to supporting people in Essex with their mental health.

Whilst working for the London Ambulance Service, John attended the Moorgate tube crash, and organised ambulance cover across the capital for events such as Trooping the Colour and FA Cup finals, before taking his career in a new direction and retraining as a therapist.

Since 2009, John has worked as part of Therapy For You, an NHS Talking Therapies Service run by EPUT which provides free therapy and counselling face to face, through video conferencing, or over the telephone.

John’s NHS career began on 17 February 1975 as a trainee ambulance technician at the London Ambulance Service, at its Waterloo headquarters.

During his training, John was called on to support at the Moorgate tube crash in 1975. He said: “I had to use my skills very early on as a trainee and nothing in my career was ever as severe as the scenes I saw on that day.”

After John completed his training, he began working as an ambulance technician, responding to emergencies in the community across north east London including Ilford, Romford and Hornchurch.

However, John’s first station was West Ham, and, as a West Ham United supporter, covering Upton Park for match days was “a dream”. He said: “I got to meet all the players; it was a great part of my job.”

In 1991, he was promoted to Duty Officer, then Station Officer, managing ambulance services in north London and east London before becoming the ambulance service’s Resource Manager.

John looked after budgets, staff, and resources to ensure ambulance cover for events across the capital including Trooping the Colour, New Year’s Eve celebrations, FA Cup finals, and important visitors to the country.

In the late nineties, John trained to be a therapist. He said: “I wanted to learn something different. To help understand my staff, I did some counselling courses which were funded by the NHS as part of my professional development.”

He added that, during his time at the ambulance service, he “saw so many people and could only deal with the incident at the time, but would wonder what happened next, and how they were managing.

“I retired from the London Ambulance Service and applied to work at EPUT’s Therapy For You Service. It was a new challenge, and refreshing to do something different.”

John worked as a therapist supporting people experiencing mental health issues in community sites and in GP surgeries in Essex from 2009 to 2021, when he took on the role of service lead. John said it has been rewarding to “see the change and difference” in the service users he supports. 

Reflecting on his 50 years’ service, John said: “Helping people is what has kept me going to work every day, firstly at the ambulance service, and then as a therapist.

“We all have up and down days, but I’ve never had a day where I haven’t enjoyed what I am doing.”

Alongside his work for the NHS, John also served his community as a magistrate for more than 30 years, working in Romford and Chelmsford.

Following his retirement, John wants to spend more time with his family. He has been married to his wife Janis for 49 years, and they have two children and three grandchildren.

He said: “My plan is to focus on my family, and I will be celebrating my golden wedding anniversary next year. My wife and I love going on holiday to the US. We are planning a trip to Florida, along with some short breaks. I always tell patients it helps to get away from everyday life and have a change of scenery – and now I need to practice what I preach!

“I have three grandchildren who visit us regularly and I would love to spend more time with them. I also enjoy barbecuing in the garden, and I’m going to join the local bowls club to see if that is something I like.”

John’s colleagues marked his retirement with a special event held at the Lodge in Wickford on Wednesday 12 February. EPUT’s Chair Professor Sheila Salmon joined the celebration. She said: “We are grateful to John for his extraordinary service to the NHS.

“50 years is a significant milestone, and he will have no doubt helped countless people during his career. We wish him all the best for his well-earned retirement.”