As part of our day in a life series exploring the different team roles here at ICHP, Innovation Delivery Lead, Matthew Chisambi, who joined ICHP earlier this year part of the delivery team, shares his day with us.
I first open my eyes…
This all depends on the time of year. In summer, I can get up for 630, be in the gym for 715 and then be at my desk with a coffee, granola and yoghurt for 9. Come winter, I perpetually snooze… with the ever increasing need to invest in a Lumie alarm clock… Usually, on the commute I listen to a podcast (HBR Ideacast, BMJ or In Our Time) or read a book. I try to read alternate between fiction and non-fiction. Currently reading Financial Times winner Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Blyth, after finishing up a Murakami collection of short stories about birthdays. I also have to admit I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to become an undisputed boxing champion on the app Prizefighters.
I’m responsible for…
I work in the delivery team, supporting our partners to clarify their problems and to deliver solutions to their challenges. I really enjoy bringing a rigorous approach to identifying problems and getting many perspectives together to generate ideas for changes. There are many projects in the pipeline; from using technology to improve hospital patient flow; creating a network for the NHS and schools to collaborate for the benefit of young people; to working with a charity to speed up hospital discharge.
My path took me…
It has been a winding path to ICHP. I started off with a Pharmacology degree which included a year in industry at a Pharmaceutical company. As it came towards graduation, I had a plan to gain private sector experience, probably in strategy consulting, with the aim to work in the public sector having gained a solid basis of skills from across different industries.
However, my plan inverted when I found out about Teach First and I became a science teacher for two years. Then after my school sadly closed, and with a consulting offer from Monitor Deloitte, I decided to move across. I really enjoyed working back closer to high level science and was lucky to work on some amazing projects. This cemented an interest in national healthcare policy and I subsequently took up Policy and Strategy roles at RCGP and NHS Improvement (then Monitor). Where I fortunate enough to work on some interesting national schemes including the GP Forward View, setting NHSI’s 2020 objectives and STPs.
I really wanted to further develop my frontline healthcare service understanding so applied to become an urgent care commissioner at Hammersmith and Fulham. Here I was lucky to work on a range of things from operational support in the winter to digital channel implementation. During this time, alongside these roles, I also completed a MSc in Health Policy. My work on digital and service innovations led to me having some overlap with colleagues at ICHP and then I stumbled across an opening for Innovation Delivery Leads; so my path changed again.
I applied because I am passionate about innovating to solve our problems within whatever constraints we face. I believe developing a service that is resilient to macro level changes is of fundamental importance if we are to maintain an NHS based on need and not ability to pay.
My daily calendars reminders look like…
Super varied. Currently I spend a day a week in an office on the St Mary’s Hospital site. But my days around that change weekly, it could be holding a workshop with multidisciplinary teams, building a financial excel model or conducting interviews / shadowing individuals to get an understanding of what their problems mean to them. I love the variation and the challenge of bringing different perspectives into a coherent whole, backed up by meaningful data.
My most memorable work moment…
It’s been brief but I think delivering a workshop to a leadership team, which really moved forward their understanding of what needed to be done to implement their clinical strategies.
My biggest groan about my job is…
Not enough time to do all the things I’d like to do. But as a newbie, it’s going really well so far to be honest.
My best part of my job…
Working with great people, who care about what they do. In an environment where everyone’s opinion is equally valid but open to challenge. Being able to work across all levels of the system: at the micro level with GPs and patients as they explore what changes may mean for them day-to-day; at the macro level trying to get a grip on how we can design an infrastructure for the spread of innovation; and everywhere else in-between!
