Programmes Team Update

I’ve now been at Public-i for four months and I feel like I’ve become a part of the furniture already. I’ve been on a steep learning curve but I feel like I have finally got my head around most things Public-i. For example: I now know what a widget is, the difference between an R600 and an R700 encoder, and that working in the centre of Brighton is bad for both wallet and waistline.

It’s been a very busy few months for the Programmes team; we have been spending a lot of our time working on NHS Citizen – a multi-agency project which we have been involved with for some time. Most recently, we held a two day design event in Bristol which was fantastic (while exhausting!). It was my first NHS Citizen event since joining the company at the beginning of May, and although I felt like I had a good understanding of the project already, it was really useful to see it in action at Bristol. Moreover, it was great to meet so many really interested people – both members of the public and NHS staff – who genuinely want to change the NHS for the better. The most remarkable thing was that everyone came along with a positive, solution-focused mind-set, even those who were perhaps slightly sceptical. Having spent the last three years working with the private sector, this was a refreshing change for me! We are now working towards the next event on the 18th September – the Assembly test and NHS England AGM. It’s going to be another very busy couple of weeks.

Beyond NHS Citizen, we have been working with several local authority clients on their Networked Councillor programmes. I blogged back in May about my first experience with Networked Councillor and the journey has continued since then at quite a pace. We now have three programmes running, with another two due to start shortly. I have really enjoyed getting to know some of the members who are participating on the programme across the country. I’ve been on my own social media adventure too; I’m now a fully-fledged Tweeter and starting to get my head around the world of Instagram too.

And lastly, some good news. Soon I will no longer be the new girl in the Public-i office (hurrah!). We are going to be welcoming a researcher and an analyst into the Programmes Team in the coming months. Exciting times ahead!