Cathi Shovlin's story

Cathi Shovlin, Director of Workforce

“I started my new role in April 2020, in the first wave of the pandemic, and as the Director of Workforce I was there to support staff through Occupational Health and HR services, as well as supporting my own team and their families. I also personally oversaw the risk assessment process for our staff, including chairing a multi-disciplinary panel for complex or unresolved risk assessments, as well as overseeing the work to build a new workforce for our vaccination programme, with HR recruiting more than 6,000 people in record time to vaccinate our staff, patients and communities across Birmingham and Solihull.

“I was taken by surprise by this pandemic, I had not imagined how devastating it would be or how long it would last. Having taken on my role just as the first wave was biting, I, at times, felt inadequate, feeling that I was not quite delivering what anybody, anywhere needed, especially with not being there, shoulder to shoulder, with staff with what they were experiencing on the frontline. I had to recognise what they needed from me, and what they didn’t.

“In that I also felt like I didn’t have much time for ‘me’. The pandemic has been pretty chaotic and overwhelming and all-consuming, and work became that too. So I lost a little bit of ‘me’ along the way, and lost the things that energise me and make me my best at work – which is getting to spend time with those I love. Although there was more homeworking, I spent less time in family mode than I would have ordinarily. Having little home time drained me and I quickly had to recognise that and it prompted me to want to do something about it. I was spending so much time worrying about the future of everyone’s mental health that I decided to do something future-focused and start my training in counselling and psychotherapy on top of my day job. Some thought the timing was mad, but it has given me just what I needed and has really re-energised me and this is knowledge I can bring to my job as Director of Workforce.

“Ultimately what will stay with me is each colleague that we lost. I think it brought comfort to others, and certainly me, when people shared photos of them, because some of those colleagues I didn’t know personally, and seeing those photos made them more than just a name and a role that had been reported and you got to see who they were if you didn’t know already. I will always remember every single one of their names.

“There was also a kindness and compassion I’ll never forget, the small acts of kindness that people showed to each other made a big difference. I discovered friends in the Trust I always had but had maybe not recognised in that way. They were there for me when I needed them, and I hope I was there for them too. I will always be in awe of the way our staff rose to an almighty challenge. It has completely reshaped the way I view our staff.

“COVID strengthened my own department, and our relationships with other teams, as we were all focused on a single common purpose which unified us. It is also a huge positive that vulnerability is no longer seen as weakness and conversations about how we feel psychologically and the state of our mental health, have become easier and more frequent conversations. Kindness became meaningful - when someone asked how you were, they really wanted to hear. And I got to know my team better beyond their job role as families became much more prominent in our conversations.

“I am infinitely proud of each and every one of my colleagues across the Trust who did exactly what was needed to care for our patients and support their relatives, and to support and take care of each other. Everybody did that, in many different ways - whether they were on the frontline providing direct care and support, or in offices delivering support services, or working from home to keep themselves and their colleagues and our patients safe by minimising contacts, or by shielding to keep themselves safe to not become an additional patient. We were one team with one goal.

“I guess I’m also proud of me. At the start of the pandemic I had heard about the skill of how to lead in a crisis and I remember thinking ‘I’m not sure I’m a leader for crisis, I’m a leader for the good times’. I am proud that just because I didn’t think I was a leader for crisis I didn’t give up, and I’m proud that my team cut me some slack while I was in the early stages of my job and stuck with me. I started to realise that maybe I was a good leader in a crisis. I’m proud of me, because I did it - at a point where I really wasn’t sure I could.”