Angelina Markou (above) is our first intern to secure a job at our Trust, with our Outpatients team in the clinic prep department. She’s one of seven interns who joined us last year as part of Project SEARCH, a transition into work programme for young adults aged 17-19 with a learning disability and/or autism.

She said: “I’m really proud of myself for getting to work in an NHS trust. All of my mentors have been really helpful and supported me through my placements.”

Angelina, along with the other interns, were rotated to work in different departments during their time with us to gain maximum work experience. She secured her permanent role after a placement with our clinic prep team. She’ll be preparing medical records for patient appointments.

Angelina added: “I really enjoyed working with the Outpatients team. I like the people the most, they’ve been really supportive.

“I’ve also worked as a receptionist at the Cedar Centre and with the Endoscopy team. It’s nice to do different things and I enjoy admin work.”

Gurtej Phull, a clinic prep clerk, enjoyed getting involved in supporting Angelina when she joined the team. He said: “It’s really good for me to be someone’s mentor as it helps with my leadership skills.

“Since day one Angelina’s confidence and independence has grown. She does really good work.”

Intern Carly has been part of our frontline team as a healthcare assistant.

She said: “I love it. I really enjoy getting to know the patients and it’s made me want to work in healthcare.

“The staff are really supportive and they, and our patients, are the best thing about it. I help feed patients and spend one-on-one time with them. I love coming into work.”

Annette Clarke (pictured below, right, with Carly), ward manager, added: “Carly grasps things really quickly and has been an asset to the ward.

“She’s very good, attentive and happy to help. Nothing is too much trouble.”

Hannah Goldman-Brown, from Astrum Multi Academy Trust, which runs special schools in the area and is a partner in this project, has been supporting the interns day-to-day.

She said: “As they come to the end of their placements they’ve been going to job fairs and applying for roles.

“They’ve really enjoyed working at the Trust as they’ve felt supported and accepted. There have been no barriers, so they’ve all grown in confidence. The teams across the hospital really got behind this, going to lots of effort and sharing feedback. There has been so much support and I’m delighted Angelina has already secured a permanent role.”

Delphine Garr, Head of Education Programmes and Lifelong Learning, added: “Our commitment is to ensure the interns gain employment after their final placements and we’re doing everything possible to make that happen.”

As our current group of interns, who were all based at King George Hospital, prepare to move on after gaining valuable job experience, we’ll be welcoming a new group of interns in September.