Careers Champion case study

Bryony McLening

Occupational Therapist, Norfolk Community Health and Care

Tell us a bit about your role and how long you’ve worked for the NHS?
Well, I’m an occupational therapist and I qualified in 2008 and I’ve been working for NCH&C for the past ten years. I’ve been in post since 2016, so just over 5 years now. I work on Alder ward at Norwich Community Hospital and also at Thorpe Health Centre reviewing equipment within care homes.

Tell us a bit about the Careers Champions role?
I was invited by our clinical leads to consider being a Careers Champion as part of our continued professional development to support students and junior members of staff. I felt this would be a really good opportunity to to help them find roles that suit and support staff who may be wanting to progress within the NHS.

Why do you think now is the time for the Careers Champions campaign?
It’s been quite a challenging 18 months or so, and I think during this time a lot of people have perhaps questioned their job role. I think this programme will empower them to carry on and think about what they can do.

What do you think the long term importance of the Careers Champions campaign is for the future workforce?

I’ve been quite involved in some conversations prior to COVID about the fact that recruitment within the NHS is becoming more difficult and there’s a lot of people retiring which creates a bit of a job gap. Hopefully it will help retain staff and help people to have a career, and not just a job in the Trust, because sometimes people feel like they’re a little bit stuck.

The NHS is a massive employer and there’s all sorts of different types of jobs out there. But it’s maybe signposting people and acknowledging the things they need to do to achieve their next step.