After 29 years of being a First Assistant Manager, I decided it was time to take the plunge and try a new career.

It wasn’t easy; I had to leave my comfort blanket, meet new people, and learn new things. I started as a Health Advisor. Training was intense—I thought I was in the wrong group and had joined a clinician group instead. Upon completing the training and starting the coaching, I can now see why the course was intense. It gives you a good setup of what to expect and helps you with your assessments of patients. My journey was a slow one to start with. I needed extra support from the trainers and the coaching team. I persevered and did not give up.

People ask me what motivated me to stay. I can honestly say it was the support and friendship everyone gave. In the call centre, we have a family tree: Service Advisors, Health Advisors, Clinicians, Coaches, Auditors, Team Managers, and Service Managers. None of us can work without the other. It is all about working together to achieve the right outcome for our patients and to provide the service they deserve and expect. On top of this, we have all the other departments too, all of which get along and help each other out. We all complement and support each other.

My current role is as an NHS Pathways Coach. I also have a bank position as an NHS Accredited Pathways Trainer. The best thing about these positions is seeing our colleagues come in and learn new skills, then seeing them apply what they have learnt and watching their expertise grow. There is nothing better than watching them progress, especially as they further their careers within IC24.

There are many moments that have made me proud of what I am doing and have achieved. There was a time I had triaged a patient and sent an ambulance; the paramedics spoke to one of our Out of Hours team as they didn’t know if a hospital visit was needed. The clinician looked over my assessment and decided a hospital visit was necessary. The clinician sent in a compliment letter. Recently, I completed the Emergency Services Contact Handling Level 3 Apprenticeship. I didn’t do well at school, but here I am in my fifties with A–C GCSE equivalent in Maths and English and an Apprenticeship with a Pass and a Distinction. This is all thanks to IC24.

IC24 really stands out because they are very inclusive and diverse; this is shown by supporting LGBTQ+ parades and providing extra help for those with disabilities. They also offer flexible working with rotas, enabling us to work in an environment where we feel wanted and safe.

The most rewarding part of my role is going home at the end of the day knowing I have done the best I can to help our patients.

Three words to describe my role: Different, Challenging, Rewarding.