We are UHB: Pippa Kelly, General Manager

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

I've never been someone that liked hospitals. I always hated hospitals as a child and always said I was never going to work in a hospital. My dad is a GP, my mum is an advanced neonatal nurse practitioner, and my grandma was a nurse and I also lived over the road from the hospital.

Whilst I said I never wanted to work in a hospital, my journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduating from the University of Nottingham in the summer of 2020, I found myself back home, navigating the uncertain job market. Like many others, my career took an unexpected turn when I landed a job at Amazon’s warehouse, moving boxes during the height of the pandemic.

After a few months of warehouse work, I applied for a role with the Bassetlaw Integrated Care Partnership, where I was soon redeployed to the vaccination programme in Nottinghamshire. My experience there involved co-ordinating the rollout of a vaccination bus to deprived areas, which gave me valuable insights into healthcare operations during a crisis.

But my NHS journey was just beginning. Encouraged by my experiences, I applied for the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme. I'd put Yorkshire down as my first choice (as I’m from Sheffield) and the Midlands as my second choice and got a phone call from the Midlands to offer me a role, where I chose University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB). Looking back, I didn’t know too much about the Trust but was excited by the opportunity to work and learn in a large, dynamic organisation.

Arriving at UHB, I embarked on a whirlwind induction period, shadowing various clinical areas, including the emergency department, theatres, intensive care and spending a night shift with the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust. This experience allowed me to see firsthand the intricacies of patient care and the inner workings of the NHS.

Assigned to Women’s and Children’s, I initially focussed on both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and then moved to maternity where I soon found myself acting as the Operations Manager. I spent some additional time shadowing across the Trust within our delivery suite, theatres, and clinics to understand how the service operated from a clinical point of view. I spent a lot of time getting to know the clinicians, the midwives, and the consultants. I got involved in many projects providing insight into a wide range of local and national maternity challenges.

My next placement as part of the graduate scheme was a two-month placement where you could choose to work inside or outside of the NHS to gain further experience.

After my time at Bassetlaw Integrated Care Partnership, I had the opportunity to reconnect with a former manager who had moved to Brighton to work at University Hospital Sussex. She held the role of Director of Patient Engagement and Experience, which intrigued me. So, I decided to join her team for a two-month placement focusing on patient engagement and experience.

During my time at University Hospitals Sussex, I was involved in various projects, including setting up a chat bot for the hospital's website to enhance patient communication and assisted with complaints management. It was a valuable experience that broadened my understanding of patient-centred care and the importance of effective engagement strategies.

Following my placement in Brighton, I returned to UHB for my final placement, where I joined the Genomic Medicine Service Alliance at the QE. I worked on information governance and data sharing between UHB, and the different trusts involved in the central and south region for genomics.

An opportunity arose within maternity services with the position of operations manager being advertised. I really missed operational management, so applied for the job and was successful. I came back to maternity in February 2023. Then following the restructure, a general manager role was permanently added into the structure which I applied for. I got lucky and got offered the job!

I have now settled in Solihull, and Birmingham is my second home. When people ask me what I do, I always struggle to put my finger on it. I guess I act as the middleman between everything and everyone in our department.

I love the variety and diversity of my role and the opportunity to work closely with multi-disciplinary teams, which is something I have embraced. Every day is different, and I love being part of a multi-disciplinary team, seeing how we can fit the puzzle pieces together to make a difference to patients. Everyone wants a piece of you and it can be difficult to balance competing priorities, but that’s what makes the job so rewarding.

Looking ahead, I’m so excited about the future opportunities at UHB and the chance to continue making a difference in patient care. Despite never thinking I would live in Birmingham, I have found a second home at UHB, surrounded by a supportive team and a wealth of opportunities for personal and professional growth.

If you're inspired by Pippa and want to join #teamUHB, visit our Jobs website below to see all our current opportunities: