Barbara Bryant, our lovely Practice Manager, celebrates a remarkable 40 years at Walker and Campbell this year.
Since joining in 1982, Barbara has been integral to Walker and Campbell. A highly respected member of staff and vital to the development and success of the practice, she has seen many changes over those forty years as the practice has grown, moved location and adopted new technologies.
We asked Barbara to tell us how the practice has changed.
When I started in May 1982, the practice was at no. 38 and Betty Walker had just taken over after the death of Alan Saw. Awen Campbell joined two weeks after me. I’m sure many will remember how unusual it was for an all-female partnership in optics. I fielded a lot of phone calls asking for Mr …
At that time, we did not have dispensing opticians, and the Optometrists did the examinations, dispensing and fitting of spectacles. The reception staff helped with repairs.
All monies were kept in small cardboard boxes in the drawer, no till. I kept all the accounts, wages, VAT etc., in large handwritten ledgers.Times change, and the practice needed to expand, so we moved in the late nineties to no. 47, where we gradually opened a second consulting room.
The eye examination has changed a great deal over the last 40 years. Developments in new technologies have made photographs and scans normal practice without the need to refer patients to hospital until absolutely necessary.
When we installed computers, life definitely became easier—no more checking and rechecking columns of figures.
Although I have been at Walker and Campbell a very long time, other members of staff do stay for many years. I think this shows that we have a friendly and caring place workplace
The practice has just undergone a partial refurbishment and is now looking fresh and smart.And so, we start another chapter.