We are UHB: Lorraine Simmonds, Head of Group Development

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

A year ago, the organisation took a big decision to change the way it was run. Previously, we had what we referred to as ‘divisions’, which grouped our services that were delivered across our hospitals and community sites. This new model has our four hospitals at the front and centre of its operation, each focusing on the specialties and services delivered out of their site. My role was introduced to see us through that big transition from the divisional to hospital-based structure. The ‘group operating model’ came with a number of key principles and benefits that we believed we would see as a result of introducing it. For example, we would be getting decision making closer to the patient, and those decisions could be made much quicker. We also believed our colleagues would feel an increased sense of belonging associated with working in a hospital compared with a division. So, the other part of my role is to make sure that we do get those benefits, and we stay true to those key principles that we established a year ago. The exciting bit about my job going forward is to keep developing the model and help it to evolve.

This year, I’ll be approaching my 38 years of NHS service, which is huge. I started in the NHS when I was just 18 years old as a medical secretary at Heartlands Hospital. I could see things going on in the NHS in the 1980s that made me feel that there was unfairness and inequity and that really bothered me, so I joined the union and became a union representative. I was in that role as a medical secretary for five years, while also being a staffside representative.

?I was able to access the most fantastic training through the union, and as a staffside representative I got to work with managers a lot. In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a lot of change going on in the NHS, and staffside was very busy. I could see that I could influence things for the better as a staffside rep, but I could also see that being a manager offered even more opportunity to influence improvement. To make myself eligible for management roles, I volunteered to take extra work on a voluntary basis to broaden my experience. For example, I remember that the surgery department at Heartlands needed a bed manager specifically for surgical wards but didn’t have the budget for one.? So I offered to co-ordinate surgical beds for the first hour of my working day as a medical secretary. It was brilliant and I learned so much. Being able to put that on my CV meant that I could suddenly start applying for jobs that I wasn’t previously experienced enough for.

What I love about the NHS is that you can still start as a medical secretary and work your way up. We have fantastic access to education and learning along the way. I was lucky enough to be sponsored by the Women’s Unit of NHS Executive in the 1990s to do a master's degree in healthcare policy and management. Again, that was another real turning point for me, because I learned so much through that programme and having that qualification made me eligible to apply for even more senior roles.

I've loved every minute of every job that I've ever done, and I've worked in most sectors of the NHS over the past 38 years. But acute hospitals are where everything's at, if you ask me. This is a great place to work, and I love UHB. I've been here for the past 15 years; I feel like I returned home to where I started. Still, every day is different and it's like having a new job all the time because there's just so many exciting things to do.

For me, our value of being connected means making the most of every contact in our network and it means looking outwards as well as looking in. I think a commitment to fairness would be something that people would describe when they talk about me. I’ve also had feedback about my passion for developing people. Because I had so many fantastic opportunities and I was lucky to have managers and leaders that were real role models and helped me to progress my career, I've paid that back so many times. I can recall many colleagues that I've worked with who I've been able to help along the way with their careers. That's brilliant for them and it's brilliant for the NHS, but it's so satisfying for me as well.

The best bit of advice I ever received was when somebody explained what ‘good enough’ means. It really resonated with me, and I've shared that with people over the years. Often, we strive for perfection, but it can mean that we never get something finished and then people don't benefit from it. ‘Good enough’ is good enough. ‘Good enough’ still has a high standard, but it’s not perfect. We're looking to do the best that we can with what we've got. To be empowered to be good enough, so that you get more done, and more people benefit from what you do, was probably the best advice I ever had. It's such a simple thing, but it made a difference to me.?

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