We need more Cathies to drag ourselves out of the doldrums

NHS receptionist Cathie Lackie is retiring at the age of 90, after starting work at the 'Sick Kids' Hospital in Edinburgh in the 1960s (Picture: NHS Lothian)

Cathie retired officially 30 years ago when the rules insisted that NHS staff had to stop working when they reached 60. No matter if they were still fit as a fiddle, with more energy than your average teenager. The rules were the rules. Sixty was considered old back then, and women like Cathie were expected to stay at home for the rest of their lives.

Except Cathie loved her work too much, and the Sick Kids’ missed her expertise, so she was asked to return to her desk, where she stayed for another 30 years. Contrast Cathie’s dedication with the news that has just emerged that a quarter of Britons are now classed as disabled, with millions of people unable to work because of their poor mental health.

As someone who suffered debilitating panic attacks in my twenties – when the only treatment on offer was Valium or being told to “get a grip” – I empathise with people who are plagued with anxiety and depression. There were times when I was literally scared of being alive. Luckily, I found ways of coping that didn’t include medication, and as the attacks subsided, I became more resilient in my work and personal life. There are still periods, especially in the middle of the night, when anxiety takes over. But those episodes fade quickly and are, I would argue, simply part of the human experience.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been heavily criticised for her plans to cut disability benefits by nearly £5 billion, but she is right when she says the country cannot afford to have so many people economically inactive. And the UK Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, got to the heart of the matter when he said recently that there is an “overdiagnosis” of mental health problems. Yes, times have been tough; the great crash of 2008, Brexit, Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis have all contributed to a feeling that the country is in a mess. And insecure jobs and unaffordable housing add to that sense of ill-ease. I too would be anxious and depressed if I had to find £1000 every month to rent a flat in Gorgie.

But we have survived worse times. Cathie Lackie has lived through the Second World War, the Cold War and the threat of nuclear armageddon. I came of age in the 1970s, when Britain was broke, with three million people out of work and desperate for a job.

I am not arguing that all of us should work until we are 90, far from it. At 68, I am forever grateful that I no longer need to clock on every day, but I do still have to earn money to supplement my pension. I don’t even mind (too much) paying tax. If we are to drag our economy out of the doldrums, far more of us are going to have to be like Cathie and work our socks off.