On 25th April we will be stepping back from the contract to provide the 111 service from our small but perfectly formed Chippenham base in the Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire region.
Having recently taken over the West Midlands 111 contract, the decision to step back from Chippenham was made last year, with a new, regional provider taking over the service.
The Chippenham base has been a valued and dedicated part of DHU’s 111 service for just over a year and we would like to thank them for all of their hard work. We thought we’d visit Chippenham for a final ‘What Do You Do’ piece to speak with Health Advisor Amanda Taylor, who has been there for 13 months, about the past year with DHU and how she sees the service developing.
“I joined form the Housing Association, a role that largely involved cleaning and it was tough, but I wanted to do something different that made use of my background in care,” explained Amanda. “I came across the 111 role and thought it was an area of care that I hadn’t really explored and you didn’t get to hear much about, so I found it intriguing. It seemed exciting so I went for it and I have to say, it has lived up to expectations.
“Day to day brings new experiences but for me it’s always been about helping people and even though you don’t see them face to face, the patient on the end of the line is your sole focus. My view is that, certainly for some of the people we speak to, I am the first person they’ve spoken to about their illness or injury, and that’s important. They have their trust in me and some of the things they say may be difficult for them to articulate so I speak to each person as an individual and interact with them, have a conversation. I love that.
“My next goal is to become a Coach because I want to welcome new people to the role and remember from my own experiences how daunting it can be. Lauren (featured in the previous article) coached me and it is a skill, but one that I think I’m preparing myself for and I’ll probably be in touch with Lauren to pick up some tips.
“I can’t really comment on what it was like here before DHU took over but, speaking personally, they’ve been great to work for. There’s a real family feel here and we help each other, support each other and we’ve done that since we found out we would be under a new provider. I know working for PPG will be different and we will be very sorry to lose Lauren as she’s been a rock, my coach, my manager but, we have to adapt to change. I know that they’re also used to running 111 services and we have met the management team a number of times which is a comfort.
“One thing I will say about DHU that I’ve never experienced before in other organisations, not to this extent, is how visible and approachable the management team have been. I know most of them are based in Derby, but Pauline and David have been anything but strangers and have been across numerous times to meet us, talk to us and make sure we’re okay. That has made a big difference to us and I understand why they’ve had to step back.
“For me it’s DHU that brought me here and gave me this career opportunity. I will miss the relationships I’ve built up with people like Angie, Rachel Paula, Sam, Alex and a number of others who I’ve been able to call on for help and support. I know it might sound cheesy but yes, we may be a small team and, as such, a close group but we have also very much felt part of DHU but we have to look forwards now, this is a fresh start.
“The basics of the job that I thoroughly enjoy, that interaction with the patient, helping people and being the first point of contact on a patient’s journey. All of that will still be there in a month, two months, a year’s time and it’s been a fascinating journey for me up to this point. We will miss the wider team but we’re still together here in Chippenham and we have the camaraderie but, it’s time to move forwards with a new driver in the front seat.
“Thank you Lauren and thank you DHU, we’ll miss you but I’m sure we’ll see you again!”
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