Katharine shares her NHS memories

Katharine talks about her time working for the NHS.

 

When did you start?
2008

 

Why did you choose to work in NHS?
I grew up with a Nurse for a Mum and my brother became a Physiotherapist. Public service runs in the family. When I chose to leave teaching, I knew that the only other organisation I wanted to work for, where I felt my ethics and values were absolutely aligned, was the NHS.

 

What do you do?
I work in NHS Somerset's Engagement Team and what I enjoy the most, is making a difference to peoples' lives - whether it be responding to a PALS enquiry and resolving an issue, listening to someone and discussing their options, conducting surveys and passing results back to teams for them to shape their commissioning decisions, or out in Somerset listening to people and gathering their lived experiences to bring back to my colleagues to be considered as key elements of our work.

 

What would you tell someone now who was thinking about a career in the NHS?
If you want to end your working day feeling that you made a difference, even a tiny difference, to improving peoples' lives and to work with wonderful, kind people who have the best intentions, just do it.

 

Describe the NHS in one word
Altruistic