Published Author: How To Cycle Canada The Wrong Way> World travel and volunteering> Personal development and the taking up of challenges.> About the pleasures and pitfalls of travelling solo as a woman.> About mid-life career change to persue passions, > How to step away from the 9-5 day and choose the road less travelled (or cycled).Since returning from my solo, 5000 mile cycle across Canada and the US, I'm constantly asked for information about both the details of the trip (all those snippets not in the blog!), and the process of persuing personal challenges. This has now developed into a variety of speaking and motivational sessions, primarily about life on the road as a cycle tourist, crossing continents, mending bicycles and the highs and lows of a woman travelling alone in the big wide world.Talks/presentations can be tailored to most group sizes and ages. Motivational sessions can also be delivered on a one to one basis.My philosophy…….,“I wil never reach the end of my life, wishing I had spent more time in the office”

Provision of high quality consultancy services to the health and social care sector in areas such as:Project ManagementCommissioning/de-commissioningContractingTender writing and evaluationChange ManagementSpecialising in commissioning systems and practice innovation in adult social care. With expertise in developing and delivering Personalisation through the use of Personal Health and Social Care budgets.Most recently worked with:Southampton City Council, ongoing audit work for the Support With Confidence pilot scheme, a partnership between Trading Standards and Adult Social Care to compile an electronic register of accredited care proivders, for individual procurement by personal budget holders.Previously worked with:Solent NHS Trust and Southampton PCT. Social Researcher: National pilot project researching the use of Personal Helath Budgets in the treatment of alcohol addiction.

A post covid change and challenge. Take 12 months to cycle across the world. See new places, meet new poeple, climb up mountains, camp under the stars and eat an awful lot of cake.

Volunteer Centre Coordinator. Coordination and development of a Hampshire-Wide volunteering service.Development and integration of IT platforms for online volunteer recruitment and management.Engagement of 600+ Hampshire charities, advertising and recruiting for volunteers on their behalf.Engagement of 2000+ volunteers per annum.Successful £90k National Lottery bid for development of a young person's volunteer service.Management and training of staff and volunteers.Chairing and participating in local and regional voluntary sector meetings.Promoting and delivering presentations to a wide variety of colleagues and partners.Public engagement including event organising, presentations and 1:1Recording, monitoring and reporting to stakeholders

Volunteer Coordinator and Development WorkerTo encourage engagement of volunteers from the West Howe community. Develop health, social and community projects and events. Create volunteering opportunities. Support and manage 50+ volunteers. Achievements Development and delivery of a community cafe and community bike loan service.Develop outcomes monitoring and deliver service to targets set by funders.

In April 2013 I embarked a 16 month career break with the aim of introducing new experiences and challenges During this time I have lived, travelled and volunteered in Canada, America, France, Spain and Cuba. My biggest challenge was completing a solo, 4 month, 5000 mile trip from Toronto to Vancouver in Canada and then following the US pacific coast highway to Mexico. It was a wonderful experience. For more information see: : http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/cyclinginaskirt/1/1374488449/tpod.htmlFrom April 2014 I am now looking to pursue new career opportunities which support a positive work/life balance and which provide fresh challenges.

Development and delivery of personal budgets within adult social care. System and practice research and development.A culmination of previous work, observing and reviewing the utilisation of personal budgets. Major successes centre around meeting the numerous challenges faced by major alterations to existing local government systems. Developing policies and advising practice to meet practical consideration of supporting vulnerable service users to design and implement a bespoke package of care, including employing personal assistants/carers. Ensuring a balance is achieved between responding to safeguarding issues and enabling positive risk taking, supporting practitioners, agencies and individuals.

The Support With Confidence Scheme is a new, joint venture between Local Authority Trading Standards and Adult Social Care to compile an electronic register of accredited care providers for public/individual purchase. Working on behalf of the local authority to ensure provider applicants meet essential social care criteria including safeguarding, staffing, record keeping and service quality. Developing initial standards and criteria and auditing compliance, in conjunction with Trading Standards staff.The work faced challenges around the proportionality of evidence gathering as well as trying to combine the requirements of two very different business departments within the local authority. The audit tools/process needed to ensure health/social care standards were met sufficiently in regards to recording/safeguarding, but within that to facilitate smaller providers to ensure that the demand for evidence at audits could be fulfilled flexibly enough not to exclude them from the process. Communication and agreement of protocols regarding process management/essential data, produced a successful interdepartmental partnership resulting in a robust new approach.

Working in Local Government joint commissioning. Implementing the move to Personal Budgets in mental health care. Reviewing, remodelling and decommissioning mental health service contracts. Working with organisations/providers and over 300 services users to implement a radical programme of change.Achievements • Innovation - developing the first national pilot to deliver Personalisation in substance misuse services.• Personalisation work used as national practice example.Challenges presented by the instigation of major changes in city-wide mental health care. The phased planning and closure of long-standing services to enable more individualised commissioning and provision. Working to consider/cater for the needs and fears of long-term/entrenched service users and service provider. Strong project planning, communication and an excellent relationship with service providers, even during de-commissioning enabled a well managed and supported change, measured by no increase MH admissions during of after the change period, positive self-reporting from service users and positive feedback from providers, even those affected by contract closures.

A three month break between work contracts afforded the opportunity to work in a completely different environment and to develop a completely new skills set. This included learning a wide variety of tasks such as forklift and tractor driving, organic farming and large scale animal care/management. The work also utilised a range of transferrable skills drawing on business development knowledge/experience to improve networking and customer communication, developing ideas for expansion and optimising existing processes.

Social Researcher for Department of Health national Personal Health Budgets pilot.Support and development of work evidencing the use of Personal Health Budgets in the treatment of alcohol addiction. Working with 11 community alcohol teams county-wide to select and secure study participants. Interviewing subjects and collating research responses. The challenges presented by the diverse geographical client base and reluctance of staff to add to heavy workloads were met through the cultivation of strong local management relationships and face to face team meetings, presentation and support.Achievements• Findings from the national pilot study supported the Department of Health decision for a nationwide rollout of Personal Health Budgets.• Pioneering the development of personal choices in alcohol addiction treatment.

Pioneering work to develop and test the use of Personal Budgets in the treatment of Substance Misuse.The development, testing and implementation of a small scale project enabling substance misusers to choose and purchase a bespoke treatment package. Development of tools for assessing eligibility for care funding, based on National criteria. Development of a bespoke support planning tool linked to sector standard planning approach. Creating individual purchasing options.Involvement in government advisory group on substance misuse treatment.Sharing practice and pilot results with other local authorities. Practitioner and drug sector training/support on use of new tools.Presenting pilot work at conferences and information sharing events.Achievements:• Work used as regional and national example of good practice.• Successful Department of Health Drug Systems Change Pilot funding for a continuation/larger pilot to develop work on a regional basis. • Positive results for service users recorded in pilot findings regarding choice , control and engagement.A personalised/personal budget approach to treating addiction was not a popular concept amongst a large number if professionals and the wider public. Communication management, consultation, education and training were the main tools employed to combat this. Each aspect was written into the project plan and monitored on a regular basis through feedback, chaired meetings and public/clinical/service user events.Innovators amongst staff members were targeted to trial initial tools with positive feedback leading to other adopters and supporters.The scheme is now embedded within the city and staff practice and used consistently as both a national example of development and as a platform for additional, successful research and funding such as the National Personal Health Budget pilot for alcohol treatment.

Development and funding procurement for specialist substance misuse services in the non-profit sector. Including residential and detox services, structured day programmes and open access provision for both drug and alcohol treatment.Preparing and leading competitive tendering applications, successfully procuring over £2 million of new business.Presenting and promoting organisational work across the UK. Organising and speaking at conferences.Establishing networks and working relationships with commissioners and partner agencies, substance misuse sector organisations, local and central government.Handling local authority contracting and managing admissions.Budget setting and financial management.Managing a team of staff

Responsible for the management and development of mental health services in North Hampshire, including structured day services, employment services community support/outreach. Management of >15 staff and volunteers. Budget holding and contract compliance.Achievements encompassed the successful growth and development of the service group including retaining existing contracts through retendering as well as attracting substantial additional funding to expand community provision and employment support. On leaving the job, I was personally pleased that the services employed over 70% of staff and volunteers with disclosed mental health problems.