I am a mental health nurse and have worked in clinical settings for many years predominantly within forensic mental health. For the last 4 years I have specialised in recruitment, retention and staff wellbeing and for the last year I have been the Service Lead for the Lincolnshire Staff Wellbeing Hub.
I am aware of the challenges faced by staff working in health and social care and I am passionate about supporting staff experience and always delivering a high standard of patient care.
I am excited to be part of Cohort 2 of the People Promise Exemplar Programme. We will be continuing to explore, develop and embed elements of the People Promise both within LPFT and in collaboration with the Lincolnshire Integrated Care System.
I welcome any feedback/suggestions around improving staff experience to: lorraine.gregson@nhs.net
I am the newly appointed People Promise Manager for Lincolnshire Primary Care working jointly with Helen Ashwell. Over the past 4 years working in my other role as Operations and Liaison Manager for Lincolnshire Training Hub, I have experienced what a truly extraordinary resource the Primary Care workforce is as the gateway to the NHS. I am looking forward to working collaboratively to embed the seven elements of the People Promise to help improve the experience of working in the NHS for everyone across Lincolnshire Primary Care. Our aim is to make the ambitions of the People Promise a reality for all of us.
The seven elements of the People Promise have come from those who work in the NHS via the General Practice Staff Survey. We are always keen to hear your suggestions regarding the People Promise and how it can be best implemented in Primary Care.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, paddle boarding, yoga and walking.
Hello. My name is Helen Ashwell, I am the Primary Care People Promise Manager, a role I job share with Ruth Pollock.
I was born in Lincolnshire then moved to neighbouring Nottinghamshire when I was six years old.
My NHS career began, over twenty years ago, as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) working in specialist mental health services. I grasped opportunities for lifelong learning and Continued Professional Development (CPD), gaining a BSc in Nutrition at the University of Nottingham and a Certificate in Education (CertEd) at Sheffield Hallam University.
I moved into Further Education of patients as a Lecturer, developing training packages – and with user involvement published a couple of books on food, culture, education and health through personal narratives.
I next moved into a leadership/educator role, collaborating with NHS and Prison Service colleagues in setting up and delivering a Therapeutic Community service in a prison setting.
My interest in personal narratives; hearing people’s stories, gained momentum as I began studying Group Analysis and Reflective Practice through Group Analysis.
I then applied this evidence base in supporting staff as I moved into People Services, in mental health services, then for an acute NHS Trust, where I worked on culture, engagement, organisational development and people development. In these roles, I led on staff support initiatives such as the NHS People Promise and the Annual Performance Appraisal Cycle and personal support and supervision.
I am thrilled to be leading on the NHS People Promise for Lincolnshire Primary Care. This is such a worthy staff initiative which links to the annual NHS Staff Survey.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I also love baking and listening to music especially 70s disco!
