A Day in the Life at CHI

Early Morning

• 5.35am – I am a morning person and like to get some exercise before starting my workday. I alternate going to the gym to do a class and going for a run with friends.

Starting the Day

• 8am- 8.30am – I usually start work between 8am and 8.30am. While I have some breakfast and a coffee, I log on and check my emails. I then set out my priorities for the day. These can change as the day progresses but I like to identify the important tasks that need to be completed that day.

Morning Tasks

• Every day is different but in general I tend to have a lot of meetings in the mornings. These can be with colleagues who are interested in involving patients, parents, guardians or family members in their service developments, projects or research. Other times, I can be assisting in facilitating workshops or focus groups with representatives from the CHI family advisory network. In between meetings, I may have to share requests for volunteers to get involved with different asks or answer questions with regards to how best to get patient/parent/guardian/family involvement into a particular project.

Midday

• I generally have a quick lunch. On occasion, I will meet a colleague for a social catch up or go for a walk.

Afternoon Tasks

• Like the mornings, Afternoons do not have a particular structure and can vary. As part of my role, I also am the point of contact for families when a Significant Incident Review is ongoing. During the afternoons, I may make calls to update families or link with them to let know the Review is complete.
• As a coordinator of the CHI Youth Advisory Council, I am also responsible for planning their monthly meetings and a lot of work goes into the preparation and organisation of these meetings.

Challenges and Rewards

• One area that I really find rewarding is working with the Youth Advisory Council. The energy they bring and seeing their input into the workings of CHI and their group and individual achievements is very motivating
• One of the challenges is trying to find enough time to build the profile of the Youth Advisory Network and the Family Advisory Network so that staff and patients and families are aware of and can utilise them. This would further enhance engagement and partnership within CHI

Wrapping Up the Day

• Before finishing for the day, I generally make a note of anything that I did not get completed that day. I find this a good way of decompressing and being able to leave the workday behind me. Once home, I enjoy having dinner with my family. Some evenings I might meet up with a friend for a walk and on others I enjoy either reading or watching something on TV.

Personal Reflection

• I love that my job brings me into contact with patients, families and staff and I get to work collaboratively with them. As mentioned a highlight for me is the Youth Advisory Council meetings that happen on a monthly basis, as they provide such positivity to all who are part of the meetings and everyone leaves feeling energised.
• A memorable moment for me was when we were able to bring some parents on site of the new hospital. They were all so positive about it and it was amazing to hear from their perspective what it will mean. Amidst a lot of negativity, hearing their personal views and seeing their reactions to the New Hospital was memorable.
• I feel very lucky to be part of this historic move, where we will not only be moving to a new site, but merging three hospitals and launching the new electronic healthcare record. This is a once in a lifetime experience to be part of. I think that being in the same place and having access to the new HER will provide a better platform for Patient/Parent/Guardian/Family engagement and partnership.