Who I Am and How I ended up here!

I’m Thomas Edwards, Founder of TE Tracks—a name that reflects both my lifelong love of trains and a deeper journey in Thomas Edwards’ TRaining And C(K)onsultancy Service. Though it began as a quirky acronym, TE Tracks has grown into something more powerful: a platform to advocate for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in urgent, emergency, and crisis care.

So how did I get here?

Living with Vision Loss, Not Limitations

I was born with a visual impairment of a rare genetic condition called Aniridia, also resulting in Nystagmus. This was a shock to my parents, but it set my path early. My parents raised me to be ferociously independent. One of my dad John’s favourite stories involves letting me walk into an open vending machine door before calmly telling me to watch where I was going—much to the horror of onlookers. But it was exactly that kind of upbringing that gave me determination and direction.

A Caring Family —and a Search for My Own Path

My mum Ann was a lifelong nurse, and my Dad later trained as a Catholic Deacon. Their care for others and strong faith laid the foundation for my values. But while I knew I wanted to help people, I realised I wasn’t drawn to “caring for” so much as promoting independence.

My older brother Andrew entered the ambulance service, and at the end of my college health and social care course, he suggested I apply for a job in the Emergency Ambulance Control room. I spent four pivotal years there, taking GP out-of-hours and 999 calls. That’s where I started noticing a pattern—some patients kept calling day after day, revolving in and out of hospital. I remember thinking, “These people need more meaning and purpose in their life” I also realised I wanted to work face-to-face and become a professional, being unable to drive meant the usual career path onto an Ambulance wasn’t possible, but I was determined to find an opportunity.

At this point I should also mention my younger brother Robert. Whilst Robert took a slightly different career path (he became a bus driver), he inherited our caring traits and has many stories about how he has helped passengers in distress. Robert has also been a strong supporter of my independence, always willing to help but also happy to sit back and wait while I struggle through any problem myself until I realise I should have accepted the help in the first place!

Discovering Occupational Therapy

By chance, I met an Occupational Therapist working with visually impaired children. It instantly resonated with me: promoting independence, problem-solving, and creative thinking—it all clicked. And then I found out OT roles existed in Emergency Departments. I shadowed an Occupational Therapist, Kate, for a day, and remarkably, the first patient we saw was someone I had taken a 999 call for the day before.

That was the moment I knew that Occupational Therapy was the solution, that was who I wanted to be! Within three months, I was accepted onto a course at Canterbury Christ Church University.

From Ambulance Service to Clinical Leadership

Since then, my journey has taken me through Band 5 and 6 rotations, to becoming a Band 7 Team Lead in ED and Acute Medicine in 2012, and later Clinical Lead in 2015. I also completed a secondment as Integrated Discharge Lead in 2021. While that role offered valuable leadership insights, I realised my true calling was still where care begins: at the the point of crisis!

Even after 20 years, I’m still working toward my original goal—to reduce pressure on the ambulance service. But now I understand that Occupational Therapy alone isn’t the whole answer. The future is integrated care, where occupations—the activities that hold meaning and purpose for people —play a vital role in both recovery and prevention.

It’s Not Who We Are—It’s What We Do

As Occupational Thereapists (OTs) we believe that occupations are vital to maintaining health and wellbeing. In my experience, crisis often emerges at the point where people can no longer carry out these occupations. Their loss of occupations - what OTs refer to as occupational disruption - removes structure and purpose from their routine leading to a deepening of their health or social crisis. It’s here that AHPs make the difference—restoring function, promoting recovery, and preventing further crisis. That’s why I’ve grown to deeply value all health and social care professionals. We need to work smarter—not just harder—by reducing duplication and aligning our efforts to keep people well, not just treat them when they’re unwell.

The Teacher Within

One of the most meaningful additions to my career has been teaching. I've always enjoyed it, but from early in my OT career I recognised that Health Care Professionals are not to teach others. In 2013, I formalised this passion by completing an adult teaching qualification. It completely changed the way I deliver learning and planted the seed for what would become TE Tracks.

But I’ll be honest—confidence hasn’t always come easy. It took until 2024 to finally step out and start this new chapter. In January 2025, I launched my first two training courses. The feedback was positive—but AHPs told me they didn’t feel valued enough to implement what they’d learned. I also realised I was only scratching the surface. That hit home, and I realised I could do more. For the first time in my life I have started to believe not just that “I could”, but that “I can”.

Finding My Voice and Purpose

A timely meeting with my regional AHP lead helped me see that my true impact wasn’t just in training—it was in advocating. My niche is clear: promoting the role of AHPs in urgent, emergency, and crisis care, both in physical and mental health. My faith has guided me throughout this journey, helping me stay committed to the path, even when the route wasn’t clear.

So that’s why I’m doing this. TE Tracks is more than a training provider. It’s a mission. It’s about putting AHPs on the right tracks—not just for their individual careers, but for the people and systems they serve to improve patient care and reduce pressure on emergency and urgent care services.

If you're an AHP working in urgent, emergency, or crisis care—or if you believe in a future where people are supported before crisis deepens —then you're already part of this movement.

Let’s make integrated care work. Let’s amplify the value of AHPs. Let’s get on the right tracks, together.