The BA has landed

Writing week notes for my very first week at public health Wales. It was exciting and energizing to be in a different space .Big chunk of my week as you’d expect is the usual administrative tasks of getting a new computer, completing lots of mandatory training, ranging from standard health and safety all the way through to infection control and working through some quite abstract quality and improvement courses.

Over the years it’s sobering to think how many office workers have being trained into how to lift up a box. I haven’t kept count of how many of those I’ve watched over the years but it’s quite a few. Same goes for the fire safety. Unusually, this time the mandatory training included resuscitation training. As is also usual for this type of training there’s a wide variety of systems, with varying degrees of usability glitches and odd ideas, but there weren’t too many real problems and now I’ve got the green for go all my compliance tasks.

I had some introductions to my new colleagues, and that was lovely to hear honest opinions about the complexity and scale of the organization, through the lens of positivity and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed the stories about the products that people are working on - exciting and challenging delivery of life-changing and/or saving services. Made me think of my departed friend, and I guess the people behind the generic term ‘user’.

I’d be daft if I wasn’t somewhat daunted by the seriousness of the work, but my first experience of the people leads me to think they will guide me.

I feel privileged to enter an organization with fresh eyes - and will try to keep them fresh as long as possible. I’ve spent a good few hours trawling across the digital estate, that inevitably reflects some of the structural complexity of the organization. Nosing around in detailed requirements, reading a long report on Cancer screening pilots and disappearing down multiple rabbit holes of internal documentation on Registers, Catalogues and Discovery exercises.

It’s been eye-opening to see so many Miro boards, indicating a pretty keen uptake and engagement - I’d guess led by the explosion of remote work, and in truth I’ll need to acclimatize to how they’re used.

I’ve also found my first ‘form that isn’t a form’ - There was bound to be one wasn’t there?