Page 66 - BHTA 100 years

as a ‘bold, hard-hitting’ strategic plan for the future. The plan called for a greater focus on Sections to ensure the Association was the lead body for every area it represented. Two new members of staff were proposed, one to provide increased research and information and another to concentrate on membership services and recruitment.
It was at this time that Ray Hodgkinson, who would go on to become Director General, took up the role of Membership Development Executive. He had joined the industry in 1962 when he started to work for a pharmaceutical company.
Also in this year, the Audit Commission under-took a one-year value-for-money study of the provision of aids and appliances by the NHS and local authorities. It was said to cover some £350m of expenditure which consisted of £240m spent by Trusts and £110m by Local Authorities. The individual spends were said to be Wheelchairs and Prosthetics (£80m), Orthotics (£160m), OT Aids (£50m) and Home Adaptations (£60m).
There were a number of personnel changes in 1997. Ian Sherwood, who had joined the Association in 1979 as Secretary, decided to take up another opportunity in the industry and towards the end of the year, Trevor Barker joined as the new Director. Another change occurred as Mark Oaten MP, the Liberal Democrats spokesman on Disability, became BSTA’s new Parliamentary Advisor.
“Memories from...Philip Salt
My involvement with the BHTA
grew as Salts joined more sections. I ended up on a ladder that led me to becoming the Chairman and later the President. It was during my time as Chairman that we changed the name from BSTA to BHTA to re ect the association’s growth and ” membership more accurately.
BHTA 100 years