Today our ‘What do You do at DHU’ feature introduces you to Chris Measham who is a Non-Clinical CQI Trainer based at Ashgate Manor. He’s been with us since November 2013 when he started as a Health Advisor and now trains up those looking to start their 111 journey.
Here’s what he told us about his role…
“I actually joined DHU due to redundancy; I’d been in construction and logistics training and couldn’t compete with bigger training providers when I tried to do the same job self-employed. I spent a bit of time at Debenhams to pay the bills before getting the job here, which I was a bit surprised about as I was 40 minutes late for the interview due to the fact I was waiting in the wrong building!
“When going through my initial Pathways training I was interested in the roll of a trainer, the job appealed to me and I set my sights on it as I’d done training roles before, eventually the opportunity came around and I was successful. I’ve done a few other jobs here such as coaching and Operational Shift Manager, but I always came back to training and I’m where I want to be.
“Basically what I do is give the people who are starting in 111 the tools and the know-how to be able to do the job. One thing I learned from my time as Ops Manager is that everyone is different, none of us are at the same levels with varied life skills and you have to prepare people for the many types of calls you can get.
“I treat everyone the same to start with, it gives me a chance to work out the different personalities and how to approach the training. I like to involve people, keep it light hearted and engaging to reduce any anxieties. It’s a long session, including three weeks of classroom based training and then another three weeks on the job to work up to doing it on their own. My task is to prepare them for that and support them with any questions they might have.
“As anyone who has worked for 111 will know, it is desk based but no two calls are the same. You have different illnesses and ailments, different personalities; patients have different backgrounds, allergies, personal circumstances and life experience. I can’t tell them how to approach every single eventuality but I can show them our systems, the pathways, how to give advice and how to approach different circumstances so that they have the right preparation to make an appropriate assessment. It’s grass roots training and as I said, no two people will necessarily approach it in the same way but if those I train listen, learn and immerse themselves in the system, they will be ready.
“My job takes me across all DHU sites from Chesterfield and Derby and Chippenham. The key thing for me is that nobody should ever call themselves ‘just a Health Advisor’. We are all small cogs in a big machine but if just one cog wears down and breaks, that machine can’t run as smoothly. It may feel like it sometimes but none of us work in isolation, we all work together to provide excellent patient care and advice and I like to remind people of that.
“The best part of my job is seeing people gain confidence as they grow in the role and progress. There are Health Advisors I’ve trained move to roles such as Coaches, Senior Health Advisors, Team Managers and even fellow Trainers. There was one lady I spoke to told me that my style of training inspired her to go back to University and continue her Nursing Degree which I was incredibly pleased to hear that I had inspired that choice. I remind myself constantly that what I do is worthwhile, I make a difference and everyone who I train to help those patients makes a difference. I’m enjoying what I’m doing and I’m where I want to be, we’re making a difference together.”
Thank you Chris for chatting with us. Keep your eyes peeled for DHU’s next #WhatDoYouDo.
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