I always wanted to help people. Being able to help them move better so that they can live their life is very satisfying.
I really enjoy the technical aspects of specifying a wheelchair to meet a service user's needs and to fit their posture and physical ability, which can be very challenging sometimes.
Seeing all my colleagues at work and the 'banter' that we have in the office really makes my day enjoyable.
First, I look at what i've been assigned that day; whether it's a clinic or visit or triaging referrals. Mostly, I will already know roughly what I'm doing. I'll then prepare for the day by reading service uer's notes and making sure I'm aware of their current situation. Once I've seen the service users, i write the notes up and load them to the IT System. I'll usually have work orders and prescriptions to pass through to the workshop technicians for them to source and prepare the equipment i have prescribed. Quite often, this also involves liaising with technicians and admin staff about the wheelchairs.
At the end of the day, I'll check to see what I am doing the next day and get prepared.
I've worked here for six years now, Before that i worked as a support worker and maintenance engineer. A friend asked me if i fancied becoming a field service engineer and the job appealed to me. I really enjoy working here.
Over the last six years, I’ve got to know the service users really well. I enjoy travelling around the county and I get to meet some very interesting people.
I really enjoy repairing things and problem solving. The more of a challenge it is to repair a wheelchair, the more I enjoy it.
I collect my job sheets and wheelchair parts the night before from out of the service centre, then drive home.
I plan my route and leave home at 8.00am. I will have between 10 and 14 jobs to complete during the day. This means that I can travel around 150 miles per day. My day should finish at 4.30pm, but if I am on call and must attend breakdowns, I can be on the road until 10.00pm
I enjoy sports that get me out in the countryside. I recently ran the 10K challenge to raise money for MIND. This involved me running 10 kilometres a day for 7 days, and I raised over £1,000.
I love mountain biking and spend a lot of my spare time doing this.
My other passion is photography and every year, I release a calendar for family and friends.
It offered the perfect combination for two of my loves; the opportunity to work within a developing, fast-changing, health care environment and the ability to support, care for and help people to become more independent and productive within all the areas of their lives. Even if you are just focussed on a single activity, the outcome often influences more than one area for your client.
Coffee?! My dog as he needs to go out! More coffee! There is a lot – both personally and professionally. I have a strong conviction to be the best I can be in the different roles and responsibilities I have. I get immense reward and satisfaction out of being able to help my clients, support my staff and try and do my best for my employer.
First priority when I get to work is coffee(!) – then I prioritise and plan my day. Wonderfully, my work days vary – it can be a clinical day (my favourite), but also, it’s important to spend quite a bit of time on the admin side of things. Non-clinical days can vary hugely! I’m fortunate enough to be involved in all sorts of ways and I need to be available to either offer leadership or just jump in and help out. (I love getting my tools out and working on the wheelchairs).
Once a month, I travel to meet with clinical leads from our other services. It’s good to have the link with the other services in the organisation and always offers an opportunity to learn from each other.