Opportunities are available to join our team. In this blog, Project Officer Richard Drakes gives a personal account of working for HIEM, including what he enjoys most about his role.

Find out more about the opportunities available to join our team on our dedicated webpage.

How long have you been with the organisation?

I've been working for three years at HIEM in the role of Project Officer. On a typical day, I work as part of a HIEM project team and with colleagues from hospital trusts across the East Midlands to deliver patient safety initiatives. My tasks can be widely varied throughout a working week; for example, I can be attending a virtual meeting to learn about current projects from several healthcare providers in the morning, and then I can be involved in process mapping workshops in the afternoon.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

We have specific programmes of work that we are required to deliver within each project team, and we are given the trust and freedom to put our stamp on our work. This gives you a great opportunity to use your skills and knowledge for the benefit of the patients and staff that we work for.

The types of work you’ve enjoyed being part of

Developing Quality Improvement skills and knowledge, developing and implementing projects from start to finish, building in-person events that participants genuinely feel they gained real value from.

What prompted you to apply to work at HIEM

I had a good career working in the private sector in account management roles but desired a career change to gain more purpose in my work, and at that time HIEM was recommended to me.

Why apply?

If you enjoy working with people and would like a career where you can have a genuine impact on the lives of many people, I'd strongly consider submitting an application. Also, I had no previous NHS experience before joining HIEM, so if you work in the private sector or in another non-NHS role, don't let that put you off applying.