Meet Sam Cave. Sam is our culture lead at H&SH and does a fantastic job looking after our people and taking care of their needs as well as promoting the culture of our organisation. Let’s find out a little more about her...
Can you tell us a little bit more about your role?
My position with Hartlepool & Stockton Health is culture lead. The role involves looking after our people and taking care of their needs whilst promoting the culture of the organisation. Within my remit is workforce planning ensuring coverage of our services with the most suitable persons. I also deal with policy, workforce development, health and safety, recruitment and retention and compliance.
How long have you worked at Hartlepool & Stockton Health?
I started with Hartlepool & Stockton Health in March 2017, just before two major health services were due to become live. I began as a rota and relationship coordinator with the organisation and in January of this year I was promoted to Culture Lead.
What’s the best thing about working at Hartlepool & Stockton Health?
The opportunity to create something new and fresh for both the people of Stockton and Hartlepool but also for our healthcare teams. I am a firm believer that you get back what you put in. It can be common practices in some workplace to expect a lot from their employees but give very little back. I hope to ensure that this practice doesn’t happen within our organisation and that we not only thank our teams for jobs well done but support them to achieve their full potentials in work, attitudes and behaviours. A happy workforce in health can make such a difference to the patient experience!
Tell us a little bit about your experience/background?
I began working in health in 2003 with my first post being a receptionist within the accident and emergency department at James Cook Hospital. I moved from department to department for a number of years, I knew that I wanted to work in health and make a difference but I couldn’t decide what suited me. It was in 2011, when I started working within the nursing resource department at North Tees, that I realised that the care of the employees was my calling! After this revelation I became the deputy manager in a local complex care agency supplying and securing training for nurses and HCA’s caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I wish for all of our members to be treated fairly and transparently, especially as I have seen the other side of an unhappy workforce. I have been very privileged that Hartlepool & Stockton Health supported me to achieve my Level 5 in human resources management which has been able to give me the fundamental skills to assist the workforce in all aspects of support both now and in the future.
What excites you about working at Hartlepool & Stockton Health?
I’m very excited about being part of an organisation that is trying to create a stabilised and quality future for the health community and for our workforce. There are lots of opportunities that I am currently working on such as a practice nurse training scheme which will offer nurses new to practice the support and training required to be employable within GP practices. This will help address the future nursing shortage that is being projected.
What’s your dream job?
I am living the dream already!
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about creating a neutral work environment for all. Sometimes I think that there is a misconception that because a person looks like and sounds like you that they are the same as you but many different attitudes, behaviours and cultures make up our communities. I hope to raise people’s awareness of this and make our workforce more culturally aware of the differences around them which can only help with communication, empathy and tolerance.
What does the future at Hartlepool & Stockton Health hold?
The future at Hartlepool & Stockton Health will hold more growth, exciting projects, working to a gold standard and lots and lots of workforce development, education and opportunities for patients and staff!
Can you tell us a little bit more about your role?
My position with Hartlepool & Stockton Health is culture lead. The role involves looking after our people and taking care of their needs whilst promoting the culture of the organisation. Within my remit is workforce planning ensuring coverage of our services with the most suitable persons. I also deal with policy, workforce development, health and safety, recruitment and retention and compliance.
How long have you worked at Hartlepool & Stockton Health?
I started with Hartlepool & Stockton Health in March 2017, just before two major health services were due to become live. I began as a rota and relationship coordinator with the organisation and in January of this year I was promoted to Culture Lead.
What’s the best thing about working at Hartlepool & Stockton Health?
The opportunity to create something new and fresh for both the people of Stockton and Hartlepool but also for our healthcare teams. I am a firm believer that you get back what you put in. It can be common practices in some workplace to expect a lot from their employees but give very little back. I hope to ensure that this practice doesn’t happen within our organisation and that we not only thank our teams for jobs well done but support them to achieve their full potentials in work, attitudes and behaviours. A happy workforce in health can make such a difference to the patient experience!
Tell us a little bit about your experience/background?
I began working in health in 2003 with my first post being a receptionist within the accident and emergency department at James Cook Hospital. I moved from department to department for a number of years, I knew that I wanted to work in health and make a difference but I couldn’t decide what suited me. It was in 2011, when I started working within the nursing resource department at North Tees, that I realised that the care of the employees was my calling! After this revelation I became the deputy manager in a local complex care agency supplying and securing training for nurses and HCA’s caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I wish for all of our members to be treated fairly and transparently, especially as I have seen the other side of an unhappy workforce. I have been very privileged that Hartlepool & Stockton Health supported me to achieve my Level 5 in human resources management which has been able to give me the fundamental skills to assist the workforce in all aspects of support both now and in the future.
What excites you about working at Hartlepool & Stockton Health?
I’m very excited about being part of an organisation that is trying to create a stabilised and quality future for the health community and for our workforce. There are lots of opportunities that I am currently working on such as a practice nurse training scheme which will offer nurses new to practice the support and training required to be employable within GP practices. This will help address the future nursing shortage that is being projected.
What’s your dream job?
I am living the dream already!
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about creating a neutral work environment for all. Sometimes I think that there is a misconception that because a person looks like and sounds like you that they are the same as you but many different attitudes, behaviours and cultures make up our communities. I hope to raise people’s awareness of this and make our workforce more culturally aware of the differences around them which can only help with communication, empathy and tolerance.
What does the future at Hartlepool & Stockton Health hold?
The future at Hartlepool & Stockton Health will hold more growth, exciting projects, working to a gold standard and lots and lots of workforce development, education and opportunities for patients and staff!
