From therapy assistant to clinical team lead, and Trade Union steward along the way, my journey through Physiotherapy has been excitingly varied.
Specialising now with a musculoskeletal and women's health caseload, I take seriously my responsibility to the patients I care for, the wellbeing of my team and the wider public we interact with. I feel privileged to share in the lives of so many and gain great energy from working with service users and staff to develop and improve, whether that be an individual's health, the service or the Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) profile for which I feel passionate.
As a governor I look forward to help shape our services with an AHP perspective. I am proud to be part of such an innovative staff group and I am humbled to represent the AHP voice within the Trust.
My work to date has given me skills in advocacy which I believe are key to the governor role. I value moving forward with positivity in what can be achieved as a collective Council of Governors.
Listening to truly hear and utilising shared decision making are not just important practices clinically, but attributes I will transfer from the clinic room to carry the voice of AHPs forward to the Board.
Watch this short video of Jessica Poulton explaining her role and talking about membership.
Video transcript
Hello, my name is Jessica Poulton and I'm one of five Staff Governors at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.
My role as Staff Governor is to represent the views of all staff to the Council of Governors - and to the board. Your views count - they can make a real difference to improve staff experience - and inform other improvements at the Trust.
Details of all of our Staff Governors and how you can get in touch, are available on The Pulse.
All substantive staff automatically become members, if you are a bank or an agency worker, we encourage you to join as a public member via the web address below.
As a member, you decide how involved you want to be, this might be keeping up to date with the latest developments of the Trust via our newsletter.
Or providing feedback on the issues that matter to you, such as the health and wellbeing of your colleagues.
You can vote in Staff Governor elections, or you might like to stand as a Staff Governor yourself.
The Trust are looking for more local people to show their support for their local NHS services by joining as public members.
Please do encourage your friends, family and those who you care for to join. It's free and easy to do, either online or via a paper membership form.
If you have any questions or you need any help with joining, please contact our friendly membership team on 01273696011, extension, 1520.
Thank you for listening, we look forward to hearing from you.
