Blog: Olivia Hamilton shares her experience of working for the AHSN Network and her career path that has lead to her current role

Olivia joined Wessex AHSN in July 2021 as the Programme Manager - Digital & TEC (Care Homes and Community), in the Primary Care Team. 

Tell us about yourself and your role 

I’m a Programme Manager within the Primary Care Team at Wessex AHSN, with a focus on Digital and Technology Enabled Care within Care Homes and the Community. It’s a broad remit which is great in terms of understanding how technology is supporting the health and care system, what is being used, what is in development, and what the impacts are. There are challenges too, how can we ensure that patients, service users and staff are supported to understand how digital tools can contribute to care and treatment, and where they ‘fit’ within services and how to use them effectively. Because of my role people often think that I will encourage use of technology instead of face-to-face contact however, I understand that digital tools are only a piece of the jigsaw, and that they need to be effective and be used in the right place, at the right time, to enhance care pathways and bring benefits to patients and organisations. 

I’m on secondment from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust where I’ve previously worked as a project manager and a contract manager. I originally went to art school but took a temping job at Charing Cross Hospital one summer and really enjoyed contributing to people’s experience of healthcare. My first permanent roles in the NHS were as an Outpatients receptionist and a ward clerk in a busy London hospital in the 1990s. Since then, I’ve worked in the arts and also in academia and on returning to the health service I’ve worked in mental health, community, ambulance and acute services as a project manager. It might seem like an unusual career path, but the skills used in each role -  finding creative, appropriate solutions and effective ways to deliver them - are the same whether in the arts or in healthcare. I still work in quite a visual away and often create diagrams to understand an issue and, ideally, describe a solution. 

Why did you apply for your role? 

I applied for the role for the diversity it offered, and the opportunity to learn and widen my knowledge. Working across a wider geographical area has been incredibly useful, understanding what challenges exist and available solutions and in development via the Industry and Innovation team. I also wanted to develop my evaluation skills so working with the Insight team has been really valuable. 

What career experiences are you using in your role? 

I’ve found that a surprisingly diverse range of my NHS experience has been helpful in this role as I’ve worked in a variety of organisations and care settings and have probably referenced all of them at some point since I started at the AHSN. I’m using my knowledge of digital projects and technologies but also enjoying widening this knowledge and learning from others experience of technology, implementation, and user feedback. Where possible, I am enjoying connecting people working in different geographical areas and areas of the health and care system, so people can continue to learn from each other and share good ideas. I’ve worked on a number of partnership projects in previous roles so always try and think which organisations and people can make a project more valuable. Community organisations, charities, volunteers and user groups are vital to consider in health and care projects, just as much as the health and care providers themselves. 

Give us your views of the organisation? 

I probably only understood a small proportion of what the AHSN Network did before I came to work for Wessex. I particularly wanted to build experience in evaluation; however, it’s been great to build a better understanding of the breadth of work and support to the NHS as well as to innovators. When I return to work for the NHS Trust I will know exactly when to call on the AHSN for advice, expertise and support! 

What's good about working for Wessex AHSN? 

I enjoy being able to try and find creative solutions that might work for different situations so have revelled in working with people with a huge amount of knowledge and experience – both within the AHSN and in the wider health and care system - and working as a team to problem solve, understand challenges and identify opportunities. I’m particularly interested in understanding how people feel about using digital tools – staff, patients, family members – whether they use them currently or not. So being able to access the expertise of the Insight team, and understand how to listen, collect and analyse users’ feedback in a number of ways is really exciting.