My name is Sam, and I currently work for IC24 as an NHS Pathways Coach. I have been with IC24 for 2.5 years now and have really enjoyed the journey to where I am today. I left my previous role working within a care home and started off as a very nervous Health Advisor working from the Ashford Contact Centre. Over time, I became more confident in my abilities, and around six months into my employment, I progressed into the Coaching Team after being supported and encouraged by my manager to apply for the position.

I initially applied to IC24 after hearing positive reviews from friends and relatives who had held positions in Ashford, as I wanted to continue working within the health sector but in a different area to what I was used to. Once I became a qualified Health Advisor following the completion of all my required training, I was ready to look into progressing, and I saw the many opportunities that were achievable. I realised my goal was to join the Education and Research team after having such a positive experience in training and coaching myself.

As a Coach, I get to work from home as well as in the office, and I have a variety of tasks from day to day, including one-to-one coaching, auditing our new starters, collaborating with other departments, providing additional support for signed-off HAs, and creating infographics. Having such variety really does keep my role interesting! I get to interact with a range of people, whether that be new Health Advisors or Clinicians undergoing their HA training before going on to their clinical module. Being in a role that I enjoy so much means I get the constant satisfaction of knowing that what I do helps Health Advisors to develop their triaging skills and confidence, which in turn means our patients receive excellent care when they come through the service.

The best part of my role, for me, has to be watching people’s confidence develop and seeing them become more and more independent.

Whenever I am asked what I do for a job, I am always proud to share what it is that I do. 111 has helped so many people that I know, and seeing the positive feedback patients give the service fills me with pride. I am proud to say I work for IC24 because of everything that is continuously being done to better support our patients and staff across the entire organisation—something I had never seen in a workplace before coming to IC24. I have witnessed all the amazing work that goes into growing the provision of care, as well as ensuring our performance as a 111 provider remains of a great standard.

The three words I would use to describe my role and experience at IC24 would have to be Empowerment, Adaptability, and Supportive.