The opportunities available allowed Kayleigh Bramley to develop and grow so that each day brings something new so that she “never gets the Sunday blues”
I joined Connect in October 2012 as a Patient Care Advisor, progressing to a Team Leader in the Referral Management Centre. As a Team Leader, I was also responsible for looking after the stock for clinics and as Connect grew, it became difficult to manage both.
In 2014 a role came up focusing on Stock and Medicines Management and for me, it felt like the right natural path to take. Personally, I found it easier to manage things rather than people who are potentially your friends. Through this role, I moved into the Estates department and I progressed into a new role of Estates Procurement Officer. I began my Advanced Certificate in Procurement and Supply in March 2018 and will sit my final exams in November 2018.
It was absolutely the right choice for me.
I love this job as there are always exciting things happening with lots of innovation and I get heaps of job satisfaction. This role gave me the opportunity to be part of exciting new changes at Connect. One of my first projects was trialing a new printing portal. Historically there were two of us who would do all the print orders manually for the whole company. We now have an online portal which colleagues will be able to use, and I have completed a stationery tender, which should see massive benefits including reducing costs and enabling people to be self-sufficient.
My confidence has grown so much in this role. I now liaise with external people and arrange my own meetings. It was scary to speak to external people, especially senior management but now I have the confidence to speak to everyone. This role has increased my business knowledge, which is key to implementing change. Change is good and I want people everywhere to feel the positive impact of change.
This role is definitely expanding my career
After school I completed a degree in Business Management – I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so applied for the Patient Care Advisor role. My husband asked me when I was going to start using my degree. It is definitely supporting me in my current role.
The Company is funding an Advanced Certificate in Procurement and Supply and the support I have received from my manager has been amazing. Where I am currently is down to her – she sees my potential and encourages and invests in me.
In this team, I have been given the green light to allow me to fix things and implement things. I have the freedom to just do it. I touch base with my ideas and she is happy for me to run with it and supports me. In this role, I have a lot more freedom and I am empowered, which suits me better.
Why do you like working at Connect?
It’s a really positive and vibrant place to be. I love the people – when times are hard, the people keep you going. It is a great culture to work in. It is a rapidly growing company and the change from 6 years ago to now is so different. Connect do so much for their employees. I think people get a lot more recognition than we used to and compared to other companies, things like the awards ceremonies are really valuable. Recognition drives me – when my manager says I’ve done well, I want to do better. I work really hard and if someone recognises that and lets me do more, it makes me really proud.
What advice would you give others?
I have been through a really positive journey within Connect. My advice would be to take the opportunities that are out there.
If you want to develop and to grow – speak up! Show how keen you are and how much you want to learn and grab what you want with both hands!
Within Connect there are always lots of secondments and opportunities – you don’t know where they will take you. You can learn new skills and open up so many different paths. Look at me – I was a Patient Care Advisor, changed to medicine management and now I’m in a procurement role with a new qualification.
I can honestly say it is a great place to work and always look forward to seeing what each day brings. I never get the Sunday blues!
What does the future hold?
I would like to think that there would be more development on the procurement side of things. Connect is only going to get bigger so therefore procurement will be more demanding and there will be more role opportunities.
If you’d like to find out more about working at Connect, contact hr@connecthealth.co.uk
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