Elizabeth Rushton, Operational Service Manager for Arden & GEM’s Business Intelligence service desks, shares how she got into the NHS and her proudest achievements to date in this latest Q&A in our BI Careers series.
How did you get into working for the NHS?
I completed a college course in media and communications which I really enjoyed. However, I didn't want to go to university so struggled to get a job within the field. I had numerous jobs, including working in a cinema, call centre, catering (in a cob van) then retail but didn't enjoy work and was never passionate about the work I was completing. I fell into a Pathway Support Coordinator role at Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2018 and it was there that I realised I wanted a career within the NHS. When a higher banded Administration Assistant role was advertised a year later, I went for it, not thinking I'd stand a chance. However, I was the successful candidate. And the rest is history!
What does your current role involve?
I manage the BI service desks. We provide support to end users of web applications that have been developed by Arden & GEM such as NIVS, Athena, NCDR and AGCR. We are also commissioned by NHS England to provide service desks for the National Data Platform, and by Greater Manchester ICB to provide a service desk for their Intelligence Hub. I am responsible for ensuring we deliver against the contracts as well as the day-to-day activities. My role is varied. In an average day I might complete a 1:1, fix a Tableau issue, demo a new application to the team, work with other teams to improve our processes and complete documentation or reports on our performance. I am often talking to the team to identify blockers or understand an issue/process, so that I can resolve or escalate.
My current goal is to improve the processes we follow; some are very complex, manual and disjointed. I want staff to be happy, enjoy work and develop their careers. By improving these processes, we can allow more development time for the team and provide an even better service to our customers.
What makes you proud to do your job?
I am proud to work for the NHS, knowing that I am doing something worthwhile is my motivation. I am passionate about people, so watching my colleagues grow and develop their careers also makes me proud to do my job. My biggest achievement to date, was during the COVID-19 pandemic. The BI team stood up an application called CPNS (the national COVID death registry) almost overnight. I managed the CPNS helpdesk from its inception, growing a team of two to over 20 in a matter of weeks. We onboarded thousands of users, took hundreds of phone calls each day and successfully provided an 8am-8pm helpdesk service for the majority of the pandemic. This project won us the ‘Supporting Healthcare Team’s Response to COVID-19’ HTN Now Award in 2022.
What’s your top tip for someone looking to progress a career in business intelligence?
My top tip for someone looking to progress their career would be to GO FOR IT:
- Get information: talk to colleagues, reach out to different teams and speak to new people.
- Organise yourself: decide what you want, make a plan, prepare.
- Find time: you'll need time to learn, research and hopefully prepare for interviews.
- Own it: be confident in yourself and if you really want it, tell people. Make your goals known and new support may appear.
- Research and resources: search the internet for relevant information and knowledge, use available resources to learn.
- Invite feedback: you might not know your shortfalls without feedback.
- Take the risk: you'll never know what could have been, if you don't try.
We are always looking for passionate, talented people who can bring new ideas and new ways of working. Find out more about careers at Arden & GEM here.