Continuing in the spirit of International Women's Day...

Continuing in the spirit of International Women’s Day, we caught up with two more inspirational females.

Lesley Bramwell and Linda Grant have worked within NHS for many years. They’ve demonstrated that adversity and challenges do not prevent us from continuing to strive for improvement, even in the most difficult times.

Lesley

"I have worked with the NHS since 2003. I was a Team Secretary for 16 years, then an opportunity arose to develop my existing skills within a supervisory role. With the support and guidance of my manager, I gained the knowledge and confidence for my current position.

I’m now Business Administration Manager with North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership. I manage 43 staff and we provide first class administration and clerical support to clinical teams across eight services, ensuring that the patient is always at the forefront.

I started this role in April 2020, just as the Covid 19 Pandemic hit. Working in a new role, supporting staff through these unsettling times was difficult, but I get satisfaction from overcoming obstacles and challenges.

Completing the ILM Leadership and Management Certificate and Award was a great achievement. It made me think outside the box and consider what I could do differently. I also gained an insight into practices which I had not yet come across. The tutor was great and what I learned has been extremely helpful.

I’ll continue to grow and develop within my role. I enjoy being able to provide opportunities to staff who are keen to develop themselves. Who knows what the future holds, but with hard work, determination and the right guidance you can achieve anything."

Linda

“I began my career at 16 as a Modern Apprentice within a local Stamp Works. I joined NHS in October 2004 and have worked in various roles.

The role of Personal Secretary to the Senior Manager for Addiction Services provided me with many new opportunities, and was the first step in further progressing my career. I attended various training, developed the skills required for promoted posts and was successful in securing my current post.

I’m now Business Administration Manager with North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership. I manage approximately 40 administration staff and co-ordinate the business and administration function to ensure it supports patients and the care they receive throughout their journey.

I’ve I worked on various exciting projects including implementation of a text reminder system for service users and introduction of a paper-lite system to reduce the requirement of paper medical case notes. These were firsts within a Mental Health Service and I am extremely proud to have been involved.

My biggest challenge was merging staff groups from NHS and North Ayrshire Council into one team, and creating a service with single points of referral. Bringing two organisations together wasn’t easy but we formed the first fully integrated admin team within the partnership, and by conquering this I knew I could achieve my goal of one day becoming a manager.

The ILM in Leadership Management provided me with further knowledge and skills to be an effective manager, it was really informative and beneficial in my new post.

I’ll continue to develop within my role as Manager and strive to give staff the opportunities that I had, helping them to develop and reach their goals. 

Nothing will ever be achieved overnight, ambition, hard work and dedication pays off.  There is no better feeling than reaching your goals and knowing that you have the potential to make a difference in someone else’s life.”

John Harman, Lecturer

“Lesley and Linda are a fantastic credit to their team and their organisation. They’re a wonderful personification of the qualities that are vital to overcoming all challenges posed not only in the present, but also as we emerge into an unknown future. 

They are shining examples of the can-do attitude and it was my distinct pleasure to assist them in their learning journey. They serve as an inspiration to us all.”

If you'd like to improve your leadership and management skills our ILM Award is perfect for you!