Alumni - General Management
Dr Kaljit Chauhan
University of Birmingham, BSc Medical Biochemistry (1994), MSc Toxicology (1995), PhD Chemical Engineering - Development of an Artificial Liver Support System (2000)
Graduate Management Scheme Trainee in 1999
Current role, Programme Manager for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Kaljit joined the NHS in September 1999 as a MTS (Management Training Scheme) Trainee, as the scheme was then called.
She was attracted to the NHS because “it fits with my values and ethics in wanting to do something that is worthwhile and gives something back to society. Also the sheer complexity and diversity of the service was a real attraction – you can never get bored or lack challenge. I liked the thought of working with the wide range of professional groups in the NHS as well as the geographical flexibility.”
Her current role involves working directly for the Director of Strategy & Partnerships as a deputy, leading on the development of the Trust’s Clinical Strategy & Marketing Plan.
Amongst Kaljit’s notable achievements are developing and implementing a workforce plan for expanding the cardiac service in the south of England, and briefing Health Secretary Hazel Blears at Richmond House in preparation for a debate on health services on the Isle of Wight. “I’ve also produced briefings for ministers and responses to parliamentary questions, visited the World Health Organisation European headquarters in Copenhagen with the Chief Executive of the Trust, and had the fortune to get an assistant director post 18 months after completing the graduate training scheme.”
She has also worked successfully with the Health Authority and PCT to put in place waiting list management initiatives, developed a performance management framework across South West London Workforce Development Confederation and worked with the lead Director on the analysis of A&E performance across SW London, which resulted in a detailed programme of recommended actions for the Trusts that led to improvements in A&E performance.
With such a track record under her belt, Kaljit’s career sights are set clearly on becoming a Director in the NHS.
John Lee
Kings College, London, Classical Studies (2005)
Graduate Management Scheme Trainee in 2006
John was inspired to build a career in the NHS by his part-time job in the Royal Free Hospital: “The atmosphere was great and I enjoyed being introduced to how a hospital worked. After I graduated in 2005, I started work in Guy’s and St Thomas’ as the Emergency Medicine Department Administration Manager. I saw the projects that I worked on come to fruition, which gave me a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. With this in mind, and having heard so many positive things, I decided to apply.”
“Generally, people move to the NHS because the work is more interesting, challenging and fulfilling, and the amount of early responsibility you get. The environment offers more social interaction and because the NHS is so complex you can do many things. And if you’re motivated, the top salaries are available too.”
John is currently in the Department of Urology, where he’s responsible for budget, staff, waiting list, complaints and operational management. “My role covers key areas of improvement such as reducing waiting times from 26 weeks to 20 weeks in 6 months, as well as complex project work, including the plan for the introduction of robotic surgery and outpatients’ audit.”
John has learnt presentation skills, critical operational management strategies, equality and diversity training and political awareness, and feels his most meaningful and most personally rewarding achievement was working with the clinical teams in order to find extra capacity to accommodate life-saving operations for 6 men of his own age who had very serious cancer. “I was part of a team of doctors, surgeons, anaesthetists, and nurses who worked together to a common goal. There was a real sense of achievement and satisfaction.”
When it comes to the future, John sees himself staying in the NHS: “The scope for career development is one of the most attractive attributes. I have met nurses and doctors who have changed career to work in management. I go into my strategic placement next year, so that might put me in a better position to decide which career path I will take.”
Gill Hodgetts
Oxford Brookes University, BA (Hons) Community Healthcare (1994) Sheffield Hallam University, MSc in Management (2003) General Management Trainee (1998)
Current role: Head of Communications and Organisational Development, Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust
Gillian joined the NHS in 1986 because she wanted to do something that would make a difference to people’s lives.
“Before I joined the Graduate Management Training Scheme I worked for the NHS for 12 years, qualifying as a District Nurse along the way. So I knew the environment was one that I enjoyed and wanted to develop in. As I reached senior clinical positions I relished the idea of moving more into management roles.”
Never one to stand still, Gillian moved through a series of roles successfully before getting a place on the General Management Training Scheme. “On the scheme, I worked closely with senior clinicians and managers, talking about how to make improvements to patient care, and I also met with many key partners and stakeholders.”
Managing staff was also a vital and essential part of the training, key to Gillian’s day-to-day work now as a senior manager with responsibility for the entire spectrum of internal and external communications. “I worked with a large group of medical secretaries, met so many different professionals, gained so many new perspectives and an understanding of how so many different professional groups work together to deliver care. The best part of the scheme for me was the contact with patients and knowing that I was helping to improve the patient experience.”
Today, Gillian also heads up Organisational Development for her Primary Care Trust – ‘a huge responsibility and a challenging one’ – but one of her biggest achievements was being awarded the ‘Communicator of the Year’ for the NHS in 2006. ‘I am also very proud of setting up probably the largest Shared Services Communications Team in the country, and as a result I have been advising the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Wight PCT, NHS trusts in London and also Government departments in Wellington, New Zealand.’
Gillian’s career sights are set on a Board level position in a Communications/ Corporate Affairs role, or in a role that includes Organisational Development.
Sarah-Jane Marsh
Lancaster University, BA History (1998) University of Birmingham, MA Russian and Eastern European Studies (1999)
Current role: Director of Planning and Productivity for Walsall Hospitals
Sarah-Jane joined the NHS in 2000, not long after gaining her MA. She’d looked for graduate jobs while at university, but none of the big private sector firms appealed. She preferred the idea of working for the public sector. What was it about the NHS graduate scheme that particularly appealed?
“The scheme was well structured, with defined periods of training, established goals and learning sets, and valued personal development. You could build up a variety of skills, as well as going on placements. It also offered opportunities to make a real difference to the organisation early on.”
Seven years on and Sarah-Jane is working as the Director of Planning and Productivity for Walsall Hospitals, with overall responsibility for all performance information, coding, audit and service improvement, as well as patient safety, assurance, governance and risk.
It’s the latest in a series of increasingly senior roles for Sarah-Jane, which have ranged from being a Modernisation Manager at Redditch and Bromsgrove Primary Care Trust to working as a Head of Planning and Development. So what’s been the highlight of her career so far?
“Above all, it’s seeing the difference I’ve made to patients. I’ve helped build a good reputation for Walsall Hospitals, for example, and we’re currently ahead of the national waiting list targets. It’s wonderful to see the surprise on a patient’s face when they find out they can get treatment the following day, and don’t have to wait weeks or months. That’s one of the things that make the job so enjoyable.”