60 seconds with... Yusuf Yousuf
What is your role, and what does it involve?
My role at The Royal London Hospital is a healthcare support worker (HCSW). I work in Older People's Services. It's a 26 bed acute medicine ward where the team takes care of patients who are over 65 years old. My role is to support my nurses in delivering patient centred care. So if am assigned to work with two nurses for the shift ahead, they will plan and delegate the duties that will be undertaken by me or with their support. I'm very proud to work with them, they are some of the most diligent and caring colleagues I have had the pleasure to work with.
Tell me a little bit about your background and how you got to where you are today?
I started working at the NHS over 12 years ago when I joined my local hospital (North Middlesex University Hospital) as a porter. I really enjoyed the work and loved the variety of interactions I had with patients through their journey. I started to think about going into a more hands-on role as HCSW because I believed I could make more of a positive impact in people's lives. I'm also a very chatty person! I prepared myself by studying for a certificate in Health and Social in my local college. After that I took part in another after work course in Functional Maths course in my workplace. After a couple of set backs and rejections I was really happy to succeed in my interview at The Royal London. That date will forever be etched in my head - 20 February 2018.
How did you first get involved with TedxNHS?
This came out of the blue. I was contacted by a member of TEDxNHS curation team to say that I was nominated by MaryCate MacLennan (senior improvement manager) and was shortlisted to be in the final 30. After a couple of conversations I was told that I was successful!
The theme for this year’s TedxNHS is Beyond our Component Parts’. What does this mean to you?
The theme to me means celebrating all the little things the makes the NHS service something to be marvelled at. It's not only the knowledge and passion to deliver care and innovation does not only lay solely at the feet of doctors or nurses, but also the staff who might not be hands-on with clinical aspects of care. Without their contributions this show would come to a halt. I'm thinking about my portering and domestic colleagues as well as the folks who volunteer to be with our patients in their most vulnerable time. The parts that make the biggest difference are not just the building or the tools, it's the people.
What will you be speaking about?
Although I can't make any comments about what I will be talking about on the day, all am going to say it's something that has propelled me forward through out my career.
What is involved in the preparation for giving the talk?
There was a lot preparation going forward. Off the bat, you need to be committed to the program and most importantly to be highly engaged with your coaches and organisers. The process has many steps to be undertaken to make sure that your message comes across sincere and as authentic to yourself.
There were also a lot of discussions and messages taking place that were not face to face. All the coaches and organisers are doing this in their spare time. So a lot of advance planning has to take place when we are getting together to make sure everyone has the time and energy to make the experience great.
What’s the best thing about working at The Royal London?
Oh that's easy. I WORK ON THE 14th FLOOR! Seriously, have you seen the view from up here? To me it's also the relationsthips I have built (and continue to do so) with my colleagues. Everyone brings a unique insight in what we do here, and it really helps that we celebrate our differences through our backgrounds. All of this means we are in a good position to care for our diverse population we serve in east London.
What is something staff might not know about you?
Even though I have spent nearly all my life in London and am a huge football fan, I support Liverpool. This came about because when my family came to this country, one of the first great black football players I admired was John Barnes, who happened to play for Liverpool.
Which WeCare value do you align with the most? Welcoming, engaging, collaborative, accountable, respectful, or equitable?
Oh that's a tough one. If I had to choose one as a staff member, I'll have to go for engaging. To make any sort of success out of the other values, you need be fully engaged with what is happening around you. That might mean delving a little deeper to understand why, for instance, one of your patients gets withdrawn from daily tasks (could they be in anxious or scared?), or becoming interested in what our clinical nurse specialist is adding to the complex care they provide to patients. You need to be engaged to see why all these interactions we have with patients aligns with them having a great overall experience at Barts Health.