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Amy
COVID at home Team Lead

That unknown entity is also what makes it such an enjoyable job.

  • What do you do / where did you work before joining Medvivo?

    Before joining the COVID Oximetry at home team, I was an advisor in the Telecare Team at Medvivo for two years. When that service moved to another company, I worked at Appello for a short time until an opportunity arose to come back.

    During the early part of the pandemic, Medvivo set up and ran an antibody testing service (ATS) and were looking for people to join their admin team. It was great to come back and see how hard Medvivo worked to develop services around healthcare needs during those very challenging times.

    The COVID at home service launched in November 2020 and when the ATS service closed we had the opportunity to join a new team set up to support local people who tested positive for coronavirus.

    One year later, I was really pleased to be promoted to the position of team lead to look after the service and our administrative team.

  • What do you get up to on a typical day/shift?

    In a nutshell, we look after people who have tested positive for coronavirus and are referred to us for remote monitoring.

    There are various routes into the service so once we receive the details, we complete the referral and arrange for the delivery of a pulse oximeter which is used to monitor oxygen saturation levels.

    Everyone has to opt into the service, and this can be done over the telephone or via a text message. Once this is confirmed, we contact the service user to complete the referral and set them up on the relevant pathway to start being able to monitor their symptoms.

    A group of COVID @home clinicians manage the standard remote monitoring pathway and set up scheduled times to check on the service user and log their observations, checking on how they feel and whether symptoms are worsening. This can also be set up to be received by text message or a link to an application.

  • What do you like most about working here?

    You never know what to expect from one week to the next. The team spirit is amazing as we all work really hard to deliver a great service.

    When it’s busy we all feel frustrated but pull together to keep on top of the workload, which is something that cannot be underestimated.

  • What has been your biggest achievement or something you’ve been most proud of? – e.g. Star Awards, Compliments, Training Certificates.

    It is always lovely to get feedback from colleagues and service users when we are doing a good job. Last year, we had a patient on the service who reported concern about one of her neighbours. Unfortunately, she was too unwell to go and check on him, so I followed up on her behalf.

    Thankfully we did as he was very unwell. The emergency services turned up quickly and were able to get him the help that was needed to ultimately save the man’s life. My intervention was recognised internally for being confident in escalating an appropriate concern about the welfare of a member of the community.

    As a result of this, I was delighted to be a finalist in the company Stars of Excellence Awards.

  • What makes someone successful here?

    If you are self-motivated and like to learn, you will be successful at Medvivo. You are trusted to get on with your job and respected enough to know that you will ask for help or support if it’s needed.

    Being open and honest helps, as does having a great sense of humour and a willingness to help others.

  • How are you supported in your role – in terms of your manager support, and also training/development?

    There are two team leads for this service and we really do work well together to support each other. We also have a direct line into a Deputy Service Lead who has been here since the service was set up.

    Medvivo operates 24/7, 365 days a year, so there are always people working. From coordinators to clinicians, you couldn’t work in a more supportive environment.

    As we manage a team of administrators, we also provide support to them. Being new to the team lead role, it has been an interesting challenge to spend time training others while still running the service. In the past few months, I have really fine-tuned my time management and multi-tasking skills!

  • What challenges do you face in your role and how do you overcome them?

    The biggest challenge is probably never knowing what to expect each day. It is impossible to predict the volume of referrals we may get or the nature of enquiries we might receive from people who are already on the service.

    At the same time, that unknown entity is also what makes it such an enjoyable job. We learn to be flexible, supportive, and always put the service user’s needs first.

  • What would you say to someone who is thinking of working for us or why would you recommend working here?

    Medvivo is always looking for ways to improve health care services within the community. If you like working for forward-thinking organisations who really want to make a difference for local people, this is the place to work - whether you’re working clinically or in a supporting role.

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