We are UHB: Adele Lewis, Healthcare Assistant

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust runs Good Hope, Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals and Solihull community services.

When I joined the critical care team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham as a domestic assistant 15 years ago, I never would have imagined that today I would be a healthcare assistant. Like a lot of people, I don’t like change and it was the thought of the unknown that worried me, so I kept putting the dream to become a healthcare assistant to the back of my mind.

At UHB, the domestics are part of the ward team, and so I got to know the staff really well over the years, and I felt privileged to be able to see first-hand the difference they make to not only patients, but to their families too. Critical care is like one big family and when the waves of the pandemic hit, I felt helpless seeing staff desperately trying to save so many lives.?My job didn’t change over the pandemic; I continued to clean the critical care units, the only difference was that I had to wear full personal protection equipment (PPE), as the patients being cared for were COVID-19 positive.

It was during this time, it really hit home that I wanted to make the most of my life and so?I decided to chase my dream.?I had to have some surgery on my hand first, but once I had recovered from that, there was no stopping me.?I applied for a job and I was beyond excited to find out I was successful. I was grinning from ear to ear for about a week! While I was very sad to leave my role as a domestic assistant and the critical care team, it felt like the beginning of a bright new era.

That was nine months ago now, and I haven’t looked back. I am now a healthcare assistant working in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) outpatients’ department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.?It is a job with tons of variety. I love the patients, and the team are amazing too. My role is primarily to support the doctors and nurses to do their job, and I love it.?I feel that the gamble has paid off.?

Don’t get me wrong, in the first few days and weeks I felt like a fish out of water but, as it turns out, the challenge was just what I needed.?I remember walking into the room where all the scopes (the tubes for looking down ears, up noses and down throats) and thinking that I would never know what they were all for. There were loads of them and they all looked exactly the same to me. But now, I can walk into the room and come out of there with the right scope to give to the doctor.

I can see why one of our Trust values is bold; great stuff happens when you push yourself and get outside of your comfort zone.

My advice to anyone either in the NHS, or outside of the NHS thinking about joining as a healthcare assistant, is to go for it. I’m so glad I did!

Wednesday 23 November is Nursing Support Workers’ Day; an opportunity to celebrate colleagues like Adele, who are vital parts of our teams. Our healthcare support workers make a massive difference to our patients and their families, day-in, day-out, so we are looking forward to spending the day recognising and thanking them.

Be bold like Adele and join our team at UHB. We have a variety of jobs available on our website: