Working with Haref - from an NHS Management Trainee
By Jade Correa
Over the past 8 weeks, I have had the opportunity to step away from my graduate training programme in the NHS to work with Connected Voice Haref and learn more about the vital work they are doing to tackle health inequalities in Newcastle and Gateshead. For the previous year, I had been working in an operational Human Resources role with Newcastle Hospitals, and have had a range of experience in the NHS and social care prior to that, so it has been a breath of fresh air to do some completely different work in a completely different environment. Coming to the end of my placement, I have reflected on the work I have had the privilege of supporting during this time.
The Haref team is small, but packs a punch in the breadth of support they offer. During my time with the team, I have dipped my toe into the range of activities they get involved in. First on the list was the Cultural Competency training delivered by Haref’s Training and Development Officer, Isobel Corby. I attended one session of this training as a participant, and one jointly facilitating. What struck me about the training was not only the detailed and practical information that participants receive, but that the session felt genuinely open, safe and engaging – encouraging participants to think differently without being confrontational. I will soon be returning to the NHS in the sphere of workforce development, so it was valuable to see how Haref is contributing to this area of work in an engaging way and how I can take some of those lessons with me.
For me, the most valuable element of working with Haref has been the level of engagement with the community and other organisations. After a difficult couple of years for all of us, it has been so refreshing to get out and about and to have the chance to have face-to-face conversations with the people most impacted by Haref’s work. Sharing a meal with community and organisational representatives at the Hindu temple on West Road, stopping to chat while delivering Ramadan calendars to community groups across Newcastle, and sharing hiking tips at a social justice forum are just some of the snippets of real human connections that underpin Haref’s work in our local area. This works in tandem with the formal conversations I have been involved in on Haref’s behalf with NHS partners and other organisations when working on strategic plans, such as the launch of Haref’s new Allies membership, to create a real force for change.
The time I have spent with Haref has been eye opening and given me much food for thought to carry over into the NHS as I return for the final placement of my graduate programme. It has been a time to share skills, learn from each other, and think about how best to maintain relationships between Haref and the NHS as we both strive towards meaningful change for our local communities. It feels a shame to be coming to the end of my time here, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity, and I am looking forward to keeping in touch to continue promoting the brilliant work Haref are doing.
