Testimonial Category: Working in Gloucestershire

I’ve been a consultant now for almost 19 years and the team I work with, the culture of the department, and the care we work to provide despite the challenges does leave me feeling very proud.

There’s sometimes a mistaken sense, I think, that in order to flourish as a consultant one has to be based in some huge metropolis but that’s not my experience at all.

We deliver state of the art treatment in our regional cancer centre in Cheltenham whilst embodying a really multidisciplinary approach such that the wider team, say advanced nurse practitioners and allied health professionals, might flourish, so enriching patient care alongside good treatment, and deepening the organisational culture.

I’m often struck by the number of young consultants who are continually drawn to work here after being senior registrars or fellows elsewhere, or who are tugged to return having trained here.

My career has been immensely varied to date, and I’ve had so many opportunities for growth and change, and to meaningfully contribute towards patient care.

I’m grateful for the possibility of this, and I’m not done yet.”

You’re part of a bigger team, but you can also be autonomous, and as a clinician, seeing people on a one to one basis is very fulfilling.

As well as this, you’re out and about in the lovely countryside, or beautiful towns, in Gloucestershire and I find this helps depressurise me and ground me.

Seeing someone and supporting them over the course of their illness, throughout their treatment to the point when they can be discharged to get on with their lives is incredibly rewarding.

Living and working in the Forest of Dean has allowed me to experience some of the most friendly communities and people are very welcoming.

There are lots of opportunities here to be outside in nature. I enjoy searching for and identifying wild flowers, the space here is incredible and nature is abundant.”

I have the privilege of stepping through the front door into the lives and homes of patients from all walks of life. As a community nurse I work autonomously, but also as part of a supportive multidisciplinary team. This brings new experiences and challenges every day.

Community nursing in Gloucestershire has allowed me to learn lots of new skills and to grow a large knowledge base. Care is varied and can range from a simple intervention, for example treating a small wound or the daily delivery of insulin, to patients that require my nursing expertise as they approach the end of their life. I love my job – it’s truly fulfilling – and I wouldn’t do anything else.

Gloucestershire is a lovely place to live and work. When I’m not working, I like to spend time exploring the stunning countryside and interesting historical buildings. In the past I have completed charity walks across the Cotswold way, which was challenging but a wonderful way to raise money for local charities.

I can wholeheartedly recommend living in Gloucestershire as you get to experience rural beauty as its best and picturesque towns – from the Forest of Dean in the west to the Stroud Valleys and Cotswolds in the south and east and everywhere in between.”

Prior to this, I had a career in corporate banking in London, but moving to Gloucestershire was one of the best decisions I ever made. It is a beautiful environment to bring up a family, with great schools and colleges, and the natural world is all around you which is awe-inspiring and liberating.

Following a personal experience of mental illness twenty years ago, I received treatment from the NHS in Gloucestershire which was positively life-changing in every way imaginable!

Once in recovery, I decided to retrain for a career in mental health. While studying as a mature student, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the NHS in Gloucestershire for several years. I felt very supported and was given access to a huge range of training opportunities.

In this NHS Trust, my lived experience of mental illness has been an asset which is important to me. Over the past two decades since being a patient, I have gradually progressed my career and feel proud to be working as a senior leader.”

I work in the emerging field of mental health care, where, in Gloucestershire we have one of the largest physiotherapy resources in the southwest.

There’s a healthy culture of progress and holistic, joint working throughout all areas of physiotherapy. We’re always looking to develop the profession and the care we deliver to our service users, putting them at the centre of everything we do.

We also work across disciplines including a partnership project where we are working together across the health and care system to reduce the number of falls. This involves collaboration between a number of health professionals including doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapist and dieticians to name a few.

Gloucestershire has an abundance of history and is a multicultural hub. As well as great transport links to Birmingham, Bristol Cardiff, and London, we have something for everyone, from amazing countryside walks to a superb restaurant scene and festivals.”

I’ve worked as a nurse in the UK since 2017, starting off in urology and then moving to a stroke ward in 2019. I’ve also worked as a practice development nurse.

Working for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a very supportive and nurturing environment.

It’s not just about clinical experience, we’re also supported to try for leadership roles and I feel very looked after by this trust.

I love food and cooking and living in Cheltenham gives me a chance to sample the diversity of all the café culture and festivals on offer. You can try all sorts of cuisine from African and Asian to British and I find people here warm and polite.”

There’s a strong spirit of collaboration, it’s a feeling that you’re working together towards a common goal.

There’s a real community vibe at the hospital and everywhere you go you see a friendly face.

I’m Gloucestershire born and bred so I guess you could call me an ambassador for the county. I grew up in the countryside around Cheltenham and I love rural life including walks up Cleeve Hill but the absolute best bit about working in my hometown is that I can go to the Lido every day after work in the hot weather.

There’s a brilliant cultural mix between the two main destinations of Gloucester and Cheltenham and plenty of opportunities to socialise.”

I am visually impaired and have thrived in this working environment due to the incredible support offered, but I’m also given the space to show what I’m capable of achieving.

I always feel happy to arrive in work, I feel like I am part of a family, as I know so many people across the Trust.

The Trust believes in leadership at all levels and encourages staff to speak up. You’re able to be involved in improvement projects and there are many development opportunities.

It is this collaborative approach to working that provides me with total job satisfaction and the desire to stay working at Gloucestershire Hospitals.

I work across both sites and the transport links between them are fantastic, it’s really frequent and reliable. The flexibility offered means I have a good work life balance too!”

When I joined the Trust, I received an excellent induction and training programme and completed the care certificate, which helped me develop knowledge, skills and understanding of healthcare.

I’m keeping my skills in place and learning more every day through doing my job. As part of my on-going professional development, I’m getting training for a variety of things linked to the role.

There are opportunities to develop within the healthcare support worker role and you can go on to explore career development opportunities in nursing.

Working in the Emergency Department is very different to working on the wards because you get a different scenario every day. I like making a difference to people who are in pain or experiencing trauma.

I also love being part of a team and we work in a multidisciplinary way with lots of professionals working together.

Gloucester is the perfect city for me, it’s a great small city with plenty of activities, it’s quiet in the evenings and very accessible with lovely places to eat.

I like cycling and I can be in the countryside quickly. I also like going to the seaside and that’s very accessible.”