"Admittedly, I was a sceptic. I didn't understand the value that consultants could add or their dedication to improving outcomes for people. But then I heard about IMPOWER."

I joined IMPOWER almost two years ago as a Senior Consultant and was promoted 18 months later. Prior to consulting, I was a committed public servant, driven by the need to add value and improve lives. Admittedly, I was a sceptic. I didn't understand the value that consultants could add or their dedication to improving outcomes for people. But then I heard about IMPOWER.

When I was a graduate management trainee in local government, they offered secondments to graduates on the scheme. I was fascinated by their culture and the impact they had achieved. Whilst I then joined the civil service, I continued following their work at a distance, and was impressed by the results achieved across different areas of the public sector. It was clear they valued and respected their clients and worked as a partnership. So, when the opportunity came up to join IMPOWER in late 2019, I decided that I should give consulting a go. And I have to say, I haven't looked back since.

Every day at IMPOWER, I work alongside frontline and strategic staff in public sector organisations, supporting them to realise their ambitions, tackle their challenges and improve outcomes for their population. Everything we do is outcomes and impact focused (our clients wouldn't let us get away with anything less!) and we continuously review and improve our work with this in mind. Most importantly, our clients trust us to get stuck in, tackle the difficult problems and get stuff done.

I have really enjoyed working with three different areas on ‘intermediate care’ over the last two years, the dual aim of which being to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and help people return home from hospital as quickly as possible following a stay. Ensuring people can recover and be reabled in their home has been even more critical during Covid. Hospitals and local authorities across the country have responded at pace to new hospital discharge guidance, implementing new operating models and launching new services, and IMPOWER has supported several areas across the country with this work.

This involved myself and colleagues being onsite in acute hospitals, working alongside doctors, nurses, adult social care and therapy to design and embed these new systems. I've attended ward rounds, joined complex case discussions and designed dashboards to monitor progress. Working on ‘Care of the Elderly’ wards during a pandemic that has primarily affected older people has not been easy, but it is undoubtedly one of the most valuable things I have ever done.

Senior colleagues always encourage me to focus on my personal development, putting in place a step-by-step plan to become a Manager. I was supported to invest in myself, was given new and exciting opportunities to 'step up' on my projects, and spent time working with an external coach.