North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), a highly specialised part of the Ministry of Defence join together again for a new mentoring scheme.
The new scheme builds on the successful collaboration between NBT and the DE&S at Abbeywood in Bristol a year ago in the fast-paced build of the NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol. After a year like no other, which embraced communities coming together, working together and learning from each other. The scheme enhances the relationships created last year and creates new opportunities for the people in both organisations.
“The DE&S and the NHS are unique organisations that exist in complex worlds,” explains Tim Whittlestone, Deputy Medical Director at North Bristol NHS Trust. “Let’s share our experience to create resilient and powerful managers.”
The six-month mentorship scheme starting this month has paired project management staff from both the DE&S and NBT with senior leaders from their partner organisation.
The pilot scheme aims to harness the power of mentoring alongside all the added benefits of the mentor and mentee being from different organisations. This experience enables both participants to gain a broadened perspective and utilise learnings from other networks to tackle future challenges and opportunities.
Kate Singh, Project Support Manager at North Bristol NHS Trust, who will be starting the scheme as a mentee said: “What an exciting networking and development opportunity for someone (like me) who is just starting out in project management! Absolutely too good to pass-up. I can’t wait to meet my mentor and start my learning journey with some of the best in the business!”
Mark Geoghegan, DE&S Project Management Head of Function said:
“As a mentor there is no greater privilege than being able to support someone through their career, the highs and lows to the tricky and the straightforward. I have been blessed with having mentors and role models that have supported me in my own development, so I cannot overestimate the significant impact that having had someone there for me which has allowed me to grow and access a vital fresh perspective.”
Jacqui Marshall, Director of People and Transformation at North Bristol NHS Trust said:
“We’re really excited about this new partnership between NBT and DE&S. After such a challenging year for the NHS it’s a fantastic opportunity for our staff to gain insight from their peers within the MOD and to share their learnings from working through the pandemic. As someone who has worked in both organisations, I know we all have a huge amount of experience and innovation to share. I’m sure this will be the start of a long and close working relationship between our two organisations, and wish our mentors and mentees the best of luck!“
If the scheme is a hit among the mentors and mentees both organisations hope to extend the initiative to more colleagues and other legacy partners.