Blog: 5 weeks and 5 great things to shout about – my graduate management training scheme placement at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
My name is Kirsty Matthews and I am a final year NHS graduate management trainee. I have had the great fortune of spending five weeks on a placement at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, aiding the learning and development team and project management office with pieces of project work.
First of all, I would like to say a big thanks to all those who have made this placement possible and all of the amazing people I have met along the way. It has been great! To give you a flavour of my placement and my experience at the Trust, I wanted to shout about five things …
1. A welcoming culture …
During my time at South West Yorkshire and with all the departments and people that I have met, everyone has been very welcoming and friendly. Lots of individuals have been keen to explain their role to me and share information about their work and the wider Trust.
Having been invited to the extended management team meeting, I was really impressed by the way that the executive board communicate with the senior management team, sharing information and giving an overview of the challenges and successes the Trust is facing. I think this is a great way to communicate, share ideas and to work together.
2. Innovation
Having worked at a number of NHS organisations within Yorkshire, including an acute Trust and a clinical commissioning group, I can honestly say I have never seen something as exciting as the i-hub. I think the i-hub portal is such a great way for lots of individuals, who are spread out across a large geographical area, to share information and look at ways to improve the organisation. The views of frontline staff are really important for making meaningful change and so the i-hub is a fantastic way for staff to shape the organisation.
3. Shadowing
I was fortunate enough to be given an extensive tour around Newton Lodge. This was really insightful and helped me to gain greater knowledge into the clinical delivery of forensic services. I appreciated the insight into the history of the unit, how it’s run currently, and the care that it offers. I enjoyed sitting with the ward manager from the Chippendale Ward and some service users, getting a feel for the ward and its day to day running. I would really recommend anyone to shadow outside their area of expertise as it opens your eyes to the wider context and you are able to gain new perspectives.
4. Wellbeing, learning and development
I am really impressed by the focus on wellbeing, learning and development at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The wellbeing and learning centre is extremely visible, a lovely working atmosphere and offers a range of innovative courses and events (e.g. mindfulness sessions). The wellbeing of staff is hugely important – happy staff translate into happy patients.
5. Food
Lastly and by all means not least, I am a huge fan of the food in the Fieldhead restaurant. It is hearty, affordable and lots better than any other hospital site that I have been to! All the staff are extremely friendly too.
So thank you once again! I will be sure to take this great experience and the learning from it into my future roles and career.