Milne Weir
Employer: NHS Grampian
Qualifications: BA public administration and management, Glasgow Caledonian; MSc healthcare management
I decided to join the NHS because I was committed to its principles and I wanted to play a part in developing and improving patient care. I joined the national management training scheme, which involved work placements in different healthcare settings. I helped develop business cases and service plans, manage staff, manage budgets and redesign services. I studied for an MSc in healthcare management at the same time.
Reviewing clinical services
I then became a planning officer at an acute hospital, working with the director of strategic planning. I was involved in a review of the clinical services in South Glasgow to make it more efficient. My next role was as service manager for surgical specialties in Ayr Hospital. Duties included managing waiting lists, meeting targets, developing clinical services, completing bids for funding and dealing with operational issues as they arose. After that, I became the service manager for cardiac and medical specialties at NHS Grampian. I was also responsible for co-ordinating the managed clinical networks for coronary heart disease and strokes across Grampian. The team followed the patient journey and looked at ways to improve and redesign it.
Planning a new building
I moved on to a project manager post at the same hospital. I’m managing a wide range of projects, including the construction of a new emergency care centre. Project managing the planning and delivery of a new building means I work with a wide range of people, including architects, quantity surveyors and engineers, along with clinicians. It’s exciting to combine long-term service planning with physical planning.
The building itself is not as important as the work that goes on within it: we’re planning the building around the type of service that we want to provide. It’s important to address changes in technology and working practice and make the building fit for the future. To help with this role I did some project management training, and I’m hoping to become accredited with the Association of Project Managers.
