With support over the past few years, Debbie has progressed from writing minutes at meetings to chairing them and providing advice to the Trust Board.

She joined the Trust’s foundation membership team since 2007, providing administrative support to the Trust’s governing body and helping the team to engage with local communities.

Debbie said: “I really wanted to widen my horizons and learn more about the corporate side of the organisation, particularly change management, business development and service delivery.”

Supported by management, Debbie recently achieved an MSc Healthcare Management qualification, an internal programme funded by the Trust.

Debbie continued: “I’ve been given so much opportunity to develop both academically and personally over the past two years and am very grateful for the all the support. It’s really important to me to put back into the organisation and I’m pleased to be able to use the knowledge, experience and skills gained from my masters by taking on the role of Acting Trust Secretary.

She is now responsible for overseeing the organisation’s corporate governance framework and maintaining relationships between the Board of Directors, Governors Body and local communities.

Debbie is now studying for the Chartered Secretary Qualification Scheme which will enable her to progress in her career to Company Secretary.

As principal training manager Jackie Kirsopp oversees a team of 25 people providing training and development opportunities for our 8,500 staff. Jackie said: “I’ve been very fortunate to have had opportunities to enable me to progress in my career so I’m very keen that our staff are supported to develop professionally.”

Jackie’s career in the NHS started in 1979 as a typist at Hexham General Hospital and, after a break to raise her two children, rejoined the Trust to work as a ward clerk. After a few years she moved on to work as PA to the head of nursing, where part of her role was to help co-ordinate training for the nurses. 

Jackie said: “I loved that element of the role and thought that’s where my future might lie. I got a qualification in business management and then persuaded my manager to let me go on a secondment to the training department. I never left!”

Jackie has been the training manager for the Trust now for the past seven years. She adds: “I gained my degree at the age of 48 in training and development and I’m a strong believer that it’s never too late to learn or develop new skills.”