Bob Herbertson
If there is one individual in a position to comment on the changes within NHS Lanarkshire, it is Motherwell man Bob Herbertson.
Earlier this year Bob celebrated his 45th year with the organisation 
making him NHS Lanarkshire’s longest serving employee.
The Senior Chief Biomedical Scientist started his NHS career on 14 January 1963.
As he stepped through the doors of the then regional laboratory in Beckford Street, Harold McMillan was Prime Minister, the Flying Scotsman steam train was making its last trip before being mothballed, John F Kennedy was making his State of the Union address and everyone was listening to Cliff Richard singing about being a bachelor boy which was top of the charts.
The world has changed beyond all recognition since then and according to Bob, so has the NHS.
The father of two said: “I think it goes without saying the biggest changes over my time have been the technical advances.
“This combined with the introduction of computers has speeded up the sample testing process no end.
“For example when I started, medical specimens had to be posted which as you can imagine led to some problems, particularly with haematology.
“It also meant a patient could wait three or four days before they got a result back, but now – with new analytical platforms and computerisation – it can take three or four minutes.
“These improvements in efficiency have been to the benefit of the patients and I suppose that’s another one of the big changes over my time, we are more responsive to patient care."
Bob’s NHSL career took him to most corners of Lanarkshire including Strathclyde Hospital, Law Hospital and Wishaw General where he is now based.
He is now nearing retirement, but how does he see his professional duties evolving over the next 45 years?
Bob continued: “The future’s always difficult to predict, but I think we could see more point of care control, which for example could mean more samples and specimens being taken at local health centres and GP surgeries and then assessed by lab staff.
“Whichever way it develops, the service has certainly come a long way from the ‘snail mail’ when I started.”