I have worked in the NHS for almost 27 years at West London NHS Trust; the first 26 years were spent in High Secure Services, before moving to the Quality Improvement Team in 2023.

Before I joined the NHS, I was a personal trainer and a sports coach, but all the time thinking about working my way towards becoming the Manager of a sports centre; I have been sports crazy since a very young age in many, many different sports and have competed at a very high level in some.

When I began working in High Secure Services, I really had no idea what to expect or whether I would enjoy it, but I am a people person, enjoy helping people and new challenges, which this certainly was; I did however, really enjoy it and the next 26 years flew by.

The NHS has changed so much during my career and as my career has progressed, I have been fortunate to have some very great opportunities for new learning and professional development; one of those opportunities was to attend some Qi training within my Trust. This was an absolute game changer for me and I realised the real benefits this could have to my team, as I had progressed up the management ladder, which meant I had some influence in supporting the team in implementing Qi methodolody. What I also really thrived on, was that the onus is on the team to identify solutions, rather than being told what to do.

Now I work in the Quality Improvement Team and have the opportunity to support and coach teams across the Trust, which I thoroughly enjoy, I love everything about Qi and really enjoy talking to people about it.