#TeamNorthMid blogs

As part of our #IWD celebrations over the month of March, we're hearing from some of the wonderful women who are leaders within our Trust. We've spoken to Dr Victoria Jones, Consultant Paediatrician and Deputy Medical Director for Patient Safety and Learning about her role as a leader. 

1) Could you tell us about your journey, about how you came to be in your role(s) and what it involves in terms of leading others?

After being a paediatric consultant for about 4 years I was keen to get involved in a project that was trust-wide.  An opportunity arose in a patient safety role looking at how we shared learning from incidents across the organisation.  I really enjoyed learning about new topics and working with lots of different staff groups.  I was mentored by Anne Yardumian who was the Associate Medical Director for Safety.  When she retired from this role she encouraged me to apply for it.  

After three years as AMD I took up the post of Deputy Medical Director at the beginning of 2020 blissfully ignorant of the year ahead.  This role encompasses my previous safety remit but has enabled me to get involved in other projects such as chairing the ‘reducing violence and aggression’ group, leading the ethics panel and working with community partners to tackle tobacco dependency.  
 

2) What is the best advice you have received, and how have you used it?

The best advice I have received is don’t write anything in an email you wouldn’t be happy to see in the newspaper!  We do rely on email communication a great deal and often you can achieve a lot more by a phone call or a face to face conversation.  
 

3) What has been your biggest challenge and how have you overcome it?

My biggest challenge so far was being the acting medical director whilst Emma was on leave for the initial week of the COVID pandemic impacting on the North Mid.  This situation meant lots of decisions needed to be taken quickly and communicated to staff.  Understandably staff were anxious and fearful and it was a time of great uncertainty.  It was apparent that open and honest communication was essential.  In addition it was a real lesson in seeing how well the executive team support each other and I was so grateful to my colleagues for their wisdom and guidance.  I am also really luckily to work with such a great paediatric team who took over my clinical responsibilities at short notice.
 

4) As a trust how do you feel we support women's inclusivity at work and how do we further improve inclusivity for women in the workplace?

The North Mid has a great track record for encouraging staff to take on leadership roles based upon talent and enthusiasm rather than the number of years they have been employed by the organisation.  However we know that women are more likely to wait until they feel confident that they can succeed at a role before they take it on whereas men are more likely to take a risk.  I think we can do more to mentor women earlier in their careers to encourage them to take opportunities to develop.

5) What advice would you pass onto the next generation of leaders?

My advice would be to seek out someone you trust and ask them to mentor you.  They can provide a sounding board for your ideas and help you shape your plans.  They can also give you a kick up the backside when you are lapsing into self doubt!