I struggled a lot working out what I wanted to do, I had never had a favourite subject and fell into an accounting apprenticeship at a factory after school. I quickly realised that definitely wasn’t it! I had always been interested in buildings and politics so I started looking into architecture related jobs with less art involved, town planning was a great option which merged these interests. I studied at Sheffield University with a Erasmus at Amsterdam University, and started at NHSPS whilst I was studying.
What is your role and how long have you been here?
I am a Senior Town Planner, I have been at NHSPS for almost 5 years permanently, but I joined as an intern over the summers of 2017 and 2018.
What inspired you to apply for this role/this company?
I was interested in working for such an important national organisation, and the role offered a wider range of experiences that most starting roles seemed to. Most local authority jobs are either in applications or policy, whereas I was able to work in both areas right from the start.
What has been the single most important thing you learnt so far in your job?
I have learnt how an organisation like NHSPS can work to achieve wider system changes. As a graduate it was really useful to have team discussions about work that the senior team were involved in to push NHS interests in policy and practice, and I am now involved in a lot of that work.
What would a ‘normal’ day look like for someone in your role?
I work on a lot of different projects at once, and have to keep my larger projects going in the background whilst completing smaller tasks day to day. I manage the planning policy workstream, so most days tend to include reviewing a response that has been prepared. I spend a lot of my time progressing planning projects and applications, including checking in with consultants and reviewing their reports, preparing planning statements, and attending community consultation events and meetings with local authorities. I also work on thought leadership pieces, including researching and discussing how NHSPS can design healthier developments.
What do you find most interesting with the sector/industry you’re in?
Town planning impacts everyone’s lives every day. It’s a surprising hit at parties, it may not sound as interesting as a lot of my friend’s jobs in the arts, but it turns out everyone wants to talk about why they like a certain area and feel unsafe in another.
What is the company culture like?
NHSPS is a really supportive place to work, everyone really wants you to learn and succeed. I also really like how social it is, we always eat lunch together and organise social events outside of work too.
How important is diversity to you and what is your team doing in this space at the moment?
It’s important that planning is a diverse profession as planners represent the interests of everyone who lives in a community, as well as those who will live there in the future. Similarly the NHS serves an incredibly diverse population, and should reflect the community.
Finally, any tips for anyone who’d like to apply for a similar role?
It is important that prospective applicants enjoy balancing a lot of different projects at once, the diverse nature of our work-streams means that there’s always lots going on.