Ellie and Ian

This week we welcomed 2 new members to the team. On the right is Ellie Robertson who has joined us on an interim basis as we seek a successor to Callum who left just before Christmas. Ellie will support our work on information governance and how we keep personal data safe and secure. Important not just for our current arrangements but also for the new a General Data Protection Regulations which come into effect in May. And in the new digital arrangements we are beginning to develop for the children’s hearings system.

Ian is with us for the next year as we develop specific projects for the Community. A first priority is work around the recruitment, training, role and support for Panel Practice Advisors. These are volunteer position who observe the volunteer panel members and provide feedback to them. Not just what has gone well but also helping to identify if there is a need for individuals or as a group to have refresher or additional training/ learning and development.

Much initial work was done by a group of volunteers a while back but we now need to translate that into consistent operation and support and work through the consequences to confirm that we can deliver what is required. The PPA role is an important limb of the system to ensure and assure that quality decisions are taken.

At least at then end of week 1 they were still smiling!