Kate Pugh, Sharon Evans, Emma Wright, Gail Langston, Lisa Monaghan, and Dr Nicky Eddison

 

Almost a quarter (22.8%) of the 10,000 staff employed by the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) are in administration and clerical roles. Administration roles within the NHS are fundamental in providing support to medical and non-medical services.  Keeping accurate medical and staffing recordsdisplaying excellent communication skills, and being the first port of call for patients, staff, and a variety of external partners. There are plenty of opportunities to take further qualifications and move on in your career. You could also choose to stay in an administration role and still progress, perhaps by becoming a team leader or supervisor¹.

Progression and development are important for job satisfaction and staff retention. Providing staff with a feeling of being valued, recognised, and fulfilled. This article explores the careers of three individuals who began their NHS career journey at RWT at pay band two but went on to progress to senior leadership positions.

Emma Wright: Paediatric Emergency Department Sister

I have worked for RWT for 18 years. I started as a ward clerk, with duties including liaising with the multi-disciplinary team. This greatly improved my communication skills, and in turn, my confidence. Whilst undertaking this role I commenced a part-time NVQ course in children’s care. My manager supported me by allowing me to have flexible working hours. Following this, I secured a support worker role within the Trust’s Health Visiting Service. I was given lots of training and support at the beginning, eventually enabling me to work independently, managing my diary and caseload of children. During this time, the Trust sponsored me to complete my paediatric nurse training. This was a huge opportunity for me. It was a career that I longed to follow but I felt unsure of my capabilities. Self-confidence is something I have always struggled with. However, my colleagues and my line manager encouraged me to take the opportunity.

Using reflective practice, enabled me to see how I had progressed both professionally and personally over time. I was now able to independently assess a child’s development and needs, represent the service at various professional meetings, and manage my own time and workload to meet the needs of the service. I commenced my nurse training in 2012 and I have not looked back since. From qualifying in 2015, I secured a Sister’s post in 2019. I now regularly clinically manage the area I work in. The Trust has provided me with several opportunities throughout my career, allowing me to progress. I would encourage anyone else to take these opportunities when they are available. I couldn’t imagine being where I am now, several years ago, but now, I would not want to be anywhere else.

Gail Langston: Head of Patient Access

I joined RWT in November 1988 when it was known as the Wolverhampton Health Authority, so that’s 34 years this year. Like any young person starting, it was a scary, but exciting time. I didn’t know anyone or anything, but over time I gained knowledge and experience until I wasn’t scared anymore.

I started as a medical records clerk where I retrieved and filed patient case notes using a very old manual shelving unit, nothing like the state-of-the-art electronic units used these days.  After a relatively short time, I had the appetite to do more and so I took every opportunity that came my way to learn new things and progress up the career ladder. I spent time working on maternity reception, the day case unit, appointments, and outpatient reception, all of which I loved. These roles allowed me to get to know the patients, especially in outpatients where I would see them regularly. The receptionist is usually the first face that a patient sees.

I gained a promotion to a supervisor post where I was able to share the knowledge and support, I had been given with new colleagues joining the team. I then moved into managerial posts, still within the same field, but this role focused more on developing the processes rather than following them. My current role is Head of Service for Patient Access, a position I never dreamt I would be able to achieve, but I will be forever thankful and grateful for. It is more of a strategic role these days which I enjoy immensely, but I will always remember my days as a clerk and the support and opportunities I received which helped me to be where I am today.

I think the message I would give to our administration staff is that it doesn’t matter if you are a clerk or a head of a service, we are all here to do the best for our patients and all play a vital part to ensure the patient journey is the best it can be.

Lisa Monaghan- Head of Capital Planning

After starting my NHS career at the age of 21, as a band two health records clerk, I quickly “learned the ropes” and I was keen to progress up the ladder. I progressed to a team leader role in Health Records, whilst aspiring to a management role. However, I was unsure of which direction to go. Whilst fetching and carrying case notes wasn’t the most glamourous career choice, it gave me a solid understanding of the workings of the hospital, the different departments, and the variety of different job roles that exist across the NHS. As the case notes I had been looking for had been for surgical patients, I gained an interest in waiting lists and waiting list management. I chose to move into that area of work and excelled. I had so many ideas for making improvements, that I applied for a project manager post to make changes to the patient journey, and I was successful.

I had gone from being the junior clerk to making improvements to the roles of hundreds of clerks, secretaries, and administration staff across the hospital. This opened my eyes to the opportunities to manage broader teams associated with the new change processes I had implemented as a project manager.  Which led me to a more senior operational management role, including managing clinical services. The operational teams moved into new premises, and I started taking a keen interest in the planning and building of new facilities for patients, and this led me to my current role as Head of Capital Planning.

Whilst my career has been varied, I can honestly say the NHS has been incredibly rewarding, always having been a supportive employer, allowing me the development opportunities and confidence to change direction and progress in a way not many other organisations would have given me the ability to do.

Training and development for or administration staff

The NHS is committed to supporting people to develop their skills and progress in their careers so

they can help the NHS and health and care partners deliver high-quality care and improve population

health outcomes². RWT understands the importance of every role within the NHS offering development opportunities to all staff.  The Trust provides various training programmes including leadership development, coaching, mentoring, and mediation along with apprenticeships and communication training. There are also fantastic opportunities for further education. The weekly Trust brief also has training opportunities included.

A framework for AHP support staff has recently been published. This framework sets out clear competency, education, and career development. To date, there has not been one produced for AHP administration staff. If a framework was in place it would show clear lines for progression, with a plan to recruit, educate, and train administration staff. There is a large number of staff who need representation, it would be good to see them supported by a framework.  Administration staff play a crucial and growing role in delivering support across all services within the NHS, whether clinical or non-clinical. Ensuring clear and consistent access to high-quality learning and career progression for administration staff members will deliver benefits for all services within the NHS, such as high-quality patient records, improved staff retention, and improved staff morale.  Defining clear pathways into and throughout an administration role not only increases job satisfaction and opportunities, but also builds workforce capacity, creates a more diverse workforce,  and helps secure the future workforce.

Claire Flatt, Lead for Nursing, Midwifery & AHP Leadership Development at RWT said:

“Leadership is not about role or title, but about our behaviour and actions and the impact and influence on the cultures, services and teams we are all part of. This is reflected in the new leadership development framework launching in 2023, which rightly focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to all leadership courses. Two of our newest courses for 2023 include Compassionate Leadership and Values Based leadership, and we hope to see staff from all corners of the Trust participating; there are lots we can learn from each other”.

If you are interested in progressing your career please seek the support of your line manager to discuss your plans. A good opportunity to review goals is at the annual appraisal where a development plan can be discussed in detail and implemented; although do not feel that you have to wait for your appraisal. Arranging a midpoint review meeting to review objectives is a suggestion.

References

1. NHS. Administration | Health Careers. Published 2020. Accessed January 12, 2023. https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/wider-healthcare-team/roles-wider-healthcare-team/administration
2. The National Health Service. Our Leadership Way.; 2022.