Job opportunities highlighted as services head into winter

Published: 08/11/2022 14:44

“I wanted to give back” 

As NHS Grampian prepares for winter alongside Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray Health and Social Care Partnerships, the need for people who would like to work in a caring role has never been greater.

Maternity care assistant Sue Petrie has spent more than 26 years supporting Moray families and says she would encourage anyone to “give it a shot”.

Sue explains: “It can be a very fulfilling job with plenty of opportunities to further your career in all different aspects of healthcare. You meet colleagues who end up being lifelong friends, there’s a good pension, job security, good annual leave time and you get support from your team.

“My advice to anyone thinking about a job in health or social care is to give it a shot.”

Like many people living near RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks, Sue was familiar with the armed forces when she joined the NHS. Her family travelled around the UK, Ireland and Germany before settling in Moray, to support her husband in his army career. It was time spent in hospital with her youngest son while in Germany that inspired her to want to get into healthcare when she got back.

Sue says: “I felt quite isolated during that time, and I was given so much support from the staff. I felt I wanted to give back some of that support when we settled in Moray, to help other families.”

NHS Grampian and its partners are hoping to encourage others to consider a job in health or social care if they are settling down or returning to Grampian, as well as young people looking for their first foot in the door and others looking for a career change.

Simon Bokor-Ingram, chief officer for Moray Health and Social Care Partnership explains: “You can make a real difference working in health and social care and there are lots of opportunities right now. We know this isn’t going to be an easy winter and we welcome anyone looking to develop their skills and support their community in a caring role to apply now.

“You may have heard headlines about pressure on hospitals and services but what you hear less about is the difference we make to people’s lives every single day. We’re very proud of our teams, we’re always exploring new innovations, we’re investing in our estate and we’re strengthening our resilience together.

“This type of skilled work comes with reward and job satisfaction you can't get from other jobs.”

Sue started out in the NHS as a part-time catering assistant, then an auxiliary, went on to qualify as a maternity care assistant at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin – and now uses her maternity skills out in the community.

Sue adds: “Working alongside the midwives and seeing what they do inspired me to learn more about the care and support women get from our service. When the opportunity came along to do further education through Robert Gordon University, I grabbed it.

“One of the best things about working in the community is meeting the new mums and dads in the comfort of their homes and giving them support. Also, if you’re travelling for work you get to see the wonderful countryside we have up here. Have a look and see what jobs are available.”

You can look for opportunities in healthcare in Grampian on the NHS Scotland National Recruitment portal or search for jobs in social care in Aberdeenshire and the different council areas via the MyJobScotland website.

There are also a variety of work experience and volunteering opportunities available within NHS Grampian – visit www.nhsgrampianworkexperience.com