Yvonne’s transition from NHS to facilities

Yvonne Spencer spent 15 years working in clinical NHS roles before making the transition to facilities and Sodexo in October 2014. Her passion for patients has been the backdrop to her entire career and she is a trusted expert when it comes to improving the patient environment. 

Did you want to be a nurse from a young age?

It wasn’t something I’d considered to be honest, even though my mum was a nurse. I actually wanted to be a pharmacist, or work in forensics. It was after a conversation I had with a school teacher who picked up my interest in science-based subjects and suggested nursing. That led me to Leeds University to study for three years to be a paediatric nurse, and I qualified in Sept 2001. 

What was your first clinical role?

As a ward nurse at Booth Hall Children’s Hospital in Manchester. I wanted to work in a specialist children’s environment. I worked my way up to ward manager level and in 2013, I made my first move towards facilities management by taking up the facilities matron role at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, seconded to Sodexo.

What made you lean away from the clinical side towards facilities?

"I’m very passionate about service improvement and putting the patient journey at the heart of everything."

As facilities matron my focus was to look at the environment of care and how it is essential to patient recovery. I spent 18 months in Manchester in that role and then left the NHS in 2014 to join Sodexo, again as a facilities matron supporting our teams across the entire UK Healthcare portfolio. 

That’s quite a bold move, from one hospital to a countrywide role?

It was, yes – I did a lot of travelling over two years. But it was a fantastic challenge as I worked across multiple NHS Trusts and sites looking at strategies for ways to positively impact the patient experience. I also got involved with new business, supporting Sodexo’s sales and marketing team to review our bids and ensure they were totally patient focussed. I took maternity leave in 2016 and returned to a marketing role for a further two years, using my ward and service improvement knowledge to develop our Healthcare service offers. 

What are the most memorable moments of your career to date?

There are a couple that stand out. The first was my time as general manager at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington in 2019, responsible for a large team across multiple services. This came directly after my role in marketing and it was perfect timing as I was ready to move back into an operational role. It wasn’t without its challenges though as the contract was demobilised during this time.

Another unforgettable period has to be the last 18 months. I was part of the team to mobilise and lead the Stansted Covid-19 test centre and was on site for four months. We had many colleagues from other business segments seconded to work with us and infection protection was new to many of them, so it was rewarding to use my expertise to help train people. I’m now back in the hospital environment, as general manager for our contract with South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

So you’re still at the heart of driving improved experience for patients?

A general manager’s role is, of course, to look after the commercial side of the contract but yes, my focus never strays away from what’s right for patients. How can we shift the conversation away from how much things costs to how they make a positive impact? How can we better interact with our patients?

"Quality of care isn’t just about the clinical service they receive, it’s also how we make them feel during their stay."

What does good patient experience look like?

One size doesn’t fit all. It has to be bespoke to the patient profile in any particular ward or hospital. Clear collaboration with the clinical teams is also essential. Our teams do an amazing job but they are not trained medics. So we always need to work together to keep the patients safe. 

Are you pleased you made the move from nursing?

I’m extremely happy with the choice I made eight years ago to join Sodexo. It’s given me the chance to add value to our operations and also act as a consultant to use my NHS experience to help drive up service quality nationwide. I was part of the team working with NHS Improvement to develop the National Standards for Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 and I’m now one of Sodexo’s representatives on the Food Standards working group. And I’ve had the chance to complete a master’s degree in Leadership and Management in Healthcare in 2016. 

What advice would you give to others in the profession?

Don’t pigeonhole yourself. As a nurse there are so many different opportunities to use your skill set and improve the quality of patient care. It doesn’t necessarily need to be at the bed side.