Clinical Engineering

Rob Meakin, Section Head – Heart & Lung Centre, Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering

Length of service:- 18 Years Career Path to Now:- Left school following A’levels at the age of 18.

1992 -Joined The Regional Health Authority as a Trainee Medical Physics & Physiological Measurement Technician. This involved numerous placements at different hospitals around the West Midlands studying various disciplines such as Neurophysiology, Audiolgy, Radiotherapy, Cardiology, Nuclear Medicine etc. I attended college on day release to gain qualifications in Medical Physics & Physiological Measurement.

1994 – Whilst as a trainee I was sent on placement to the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering Department at the Royal Hospital in Wolverhampton. Following my time with the Radiotherapy Department’s Medical Electronics Technicians I decided to switch courses to Electronics and Electrical Engineering to pursue a career in a more Technical Role.

1996 – Employed as a Renal Dialysis Technician working on Electrical, Pneumatic and Hydraulic applications repairing & servicing Dialysis Machines and Water Treatment Plant. Hospital funded day release to college to gain additional qualifications in Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

1998 – An opportunity to join an external company arose with Elga Process Water who specialised in producing very pure water via various mechanical and chemical processes. I rapidly progressed to become a Senior Commissioning Engineer installing specialised Renal Water Plant throughout the UK, often spending weeks away from home. I was also responsible for the installation and commissioning of the Renal Units water plant at New Cross and Cannock’s Hospitals.

2003 – I was approached about a new and exciting opportunity to work at the soon to be built “Heart & Lung Centre” at New Cross Hospital. The possibility to work with some of my old colleagues on such a large and technically challenging project lead me back to New Cross as a Chief Cardiac Critical Care Technician.

2014 / Present day - More recently I have become the Section Head for Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering within the Heart & Lung Centre - managing an excellent team of Medical Technologists and responsible for the maintenance and support of 9.8 million pounds of medical equipment.

What – do I like about the work? There is such a lot I do enjoy about the work its difficult to state in one paragraph. It’s a very difficult job at times and there is a lot of pressure providing Technical and Clinical support to High Dependency areas; which in turn are providing life support and care to our patients. The equipment and systems we maintain and develop are extremely advanced and often give us huge technical challenges, but the rewards and sense of achievement when we resolve an issue is hugely rewarding and gratifying. The variety of work that we get involved with also ensures that every day offers a different challenge. Its also about people you meet from different disciplines and the friendships and respect you build along the way.

You also realise that what you do on a day to day basis does make a difference in what we are trying to achieve for the benefits of our patients here a t New Cross Hospital.