The lowdown on a career supporting mental health – Purpose Lab Ambassadors meet Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

A career supporting one of the biggest mental health trusts in the country was the focus of the latest session to bring together Purpose Lab Ambassadors with Purpose Coalition partners to bridge the divide between education and work.  

A high student turnout and a wide range of questions ensured a lively and constructive discussion which tackled the issues potential employees wanted to hear about. It also shed light on some of the challenges that the NHS is facing in recruiting staff for the huge variety of roles it has available.  

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Trust Partnership Trust (KMPT) provide mental health and social care services for around 1.7 million people in Kent and Medway, employing around 3,500 staff and 228 seconded staff who are located across 47 sites across the county. It provides community, in-patient and specialist services and outpatient units for young people and adults.  

Fiona Anderson, Apprentice Lead, and Rebecca Stroud-Matthews, Deputy People Officer at the Trust, outlined the opportunities the Trust offered to those interested in a career supporting better mental health, whatever their particular passion. They highlighted key routes into the NHS including apprenticeships, work experience, supported internships and traineeships as well as through further and higher education, many of which work together. They also acknowledged the need to raise awareness of the careers the NHS offers outside the more familiar medical roles, with 350 different occupations available.  

There are a number of important factors that will affect the future of the NHS. Population change and public health trends mean that there is increased demand and higher expectations from the public for healthcare services and a need to replace those leaving the workforce by 2026. Technology changes are creating new job roles which require a higher level of skills. Prevention and wellbeing are now a more significant part of healthcare services, with an emphasis on delivering services in communities much closer to home in a way that suit people’s lifestyles.  

There was genuine interest and engagement from Student Ambassadors. They were interested in the specifics of available jobs, for example opportunities in digital tech development and cybersecurity, but also in issues such as the integration of infrastructure development and sustainable practices into the Trust’s estates or the challenges of retrofitting older mental health facilities. Tech and digitalisation were a big focus generally, with discussion on how AI and data analytics could be used to support mental health services and how both older patients and staff can be effectively supported in moving to a more digital world. The session also addressed broader issues affecting the NHS including supporting employees’ mental health, improving access to mental health services for underrepresented and minority communities and engaging with local communities to raise awareness outside clinical settings. There was also a keen interest in flexible working.  

Following the session, the Student Ambassadors’ perception of the NHS as an employer brand rose, with the number of participants considering a career in mental health increasing from 30% before the session to 44% after it. In turn, the Trust was able to get a much clearer idea of what students look for in a job, with 53% indicating the availability of training and progression opportunities, 14% the values of the organisation and 12% salary and flexibility. Forty-two per cent would prefer a hybrid arrangement with a set number of days in the office, 30% would prefer to work at the office and 21% a hybrid arrangement with complete flexibility. Only 7% stated a preference to work from home entirely.  

The session proved to be a win-win for everyone. Student Ambassadors learned a lot more about the opportunities that working in the NHS, and specifically in a Trust specialising in mental health, can deliver and effectively conveyed their hopes and expectations to the organisation directly. KMPT were able to get a much clearer idea about student interests and priorities when it comes to deciding where they would like to work and were keen to engage further to ensure they could attract the best talent to their organisation.