This month Xylem Resourcing Partners celebrates its 1st Birthday! To mark the occasion I’d like to update you on what we’ve been up to over this past year including the impact our fantastic team of associates have had on the organisations they’ve been supporting and to thank everyone who has been involved in the journey so far.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
“Working with Jamie is refreshing and rewarding. Unlike other resourcing services, Jamie offers a personalised approach to the client and the associate that really focuses on mutual fit; a critical factor for successful delivery in the consulting and resourcing world. Jamie works hard to ensure that the brief is really clear, the compatibility is tested and the deliverables are achievable. He also stays alongside the assignment to ensure that teething issues are sorted and relationships embedded and the results are clear in terms of client and associate satisfaction and repeat relationships.”
As some of you will know from reading my first blog, after a successful career in the corporate world spanning 13 years and 3 different companies, in February last year I found myself in the fortunate position of being able to consider going out on my own. The idea of carving out my own path and creating something the way I wanted to had always appealed to me but until last year I hadn’t been in a position to, nor frankly had the nerve to do. In March 2018 Xylem Resourcing Partners was born.
Aside from fulfilling that dream of starting a business and working for myself, the other reason I chose to go out on my own was to address a growing frustration with the existing business models in the sector. Many of the traditional resourcing and consulting models that currently exist in order for clients to access external support, are no longer providing the level of service they should be. I believe this is largely down to the fact many companies have grown too big, too quickly, with quality of service and delivery suffering.
With one of the biggest workforce challenges in its history, the Healthcare sector in particular needs to gain as much value for money as possible from its partners and I genuinely don't believe using the larger, traditional companies is necessarily the right solution anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against hiring employees and growing my business but I never set out to build an “empire”. I set up on my own in order to disrupt the traditional models and create a vehicle through which clients can access exceptionally good talent in the most cost effective, transparent and flexible way possible and where that same talent feel valued and receive the service which they signed up for.
The other reason for wanting to go out on my own is because it allows me to balance work and building a business with spending quality time with my family. I can honestly say that in the last 12 months I have worked harder and agonised over work more than I ever have done, yet I have also spent more quality time with my family than I ever did before.
With two growing girls (sorry, young ladies!), being around more for school drop off / pick up, to help with homework, wipe fevered brows and to have dinner with them at a reasonable hour is priceless and is probably the biggest WHY behind why I do what I do.
HOW WE DO IT
“Since working with Jamie I have been able to realise my desire to return to an operational role in a challenged Trust. Ultimately I am helping the Trust reduce its services’ waiting times and improve its financial position, all of which helps ensure patients get the high quality treatment and care that they need, when they need it. Jamie has been instrumental in opening the doors for me to this organisation and has brought in an excellent team of interims, and together we are working alongside the clinicians and managers to transform the hospital’s services”
Placing good people into organisations is one thing, but what is important for me is being able to evidence what impact Xylem Resourcing Partners and our associates have had. I want our success to be measured on the legacy we leave and the positive changes we implement to help develop sustainable services for the future. Listed below are just a few examples of where Xylem and our team of fantastic associates have had a positive impact over the past year:
Delivery of a high-profile and system-wide children’s services transformation programme which included developing a re-freshed 3 year strategy and a new model for children’s community services; a defined and implemented PMO with overseeing governance and strengthened relationships and programme profile across the system.
Enabling a Trust to galvanise clinical engagement in the development of new models of care for women and children as part of an acute sustainability programme aimed at securing onward local service delivery in new ‘’networked’’ arrangements.
Deployment of a team of experts to assist with operational and transformational recovery for a struggling NHS Acute Trust, ultimately to help reduce its services’ waiting times and improve its financial position across all its divisions, ensuring patients get the high-quality treatment and care that they need, when they need it.
Assisting an NHS provider going through a major restructuring programme and in the midst of scrutiny from external regulators. Includes the appointment of a newly created Joint Executive Chief Nurse and Chief Operating Officer; a Deputy Director of Operations and an Executive Director of HR & Workforce. All these resources provided much needed leadership during a period of transition. Supporting this we deployed specialist CQC expertise to help implement required actions across the provider and help prepare for an upcoming Well-Led review.
Supporting the delivery of a Clinical Commissioning Group’s Musculo Skeletal Programme, including the development of county-wide initiatives. Again, ensuring patients are equipped to self-manage[A2] their long-term conditions. Development of the CCG’s spinal injections policy led on to successfully implement a major plan to roll out the national lower back pain pathway.
Urgent & Emergency Care delivery and transformation across multiple systems. This includes the provision of a Programme Lead and Project Manager in a struggling Acute provider placed into Special Measures; an Interim General Manager for ED & Acute Medicine to support a Trust through Winter pressures and an Interim Associate Director of Operations for Medicine and ED into a Trust undergoing a significant restructure and a major transformation programme.
WHAT WE DO WE DO WELL
"I have known Jamie for at least 8 years, I have always appreciated his integrity, and his methods of working with a select group of clients and associates. Jamie has always worked hard to make sure the relationship is mutually beneficial rather than simply ‘placing’ faceless’ people in ‘anonymous’ organisations which seems to have been the model in this sector for some time now. Jamie has provided me with opportunities I have really enjoyed, being able to make a valuable contribution to the projects and programmes I have worked on."
I have been fortunate enough to work with 16 new clients over this past year, deploying 30 associates across a range of requirements. Importantly all of the associates I have partnered with are individuals I know and trust or have been referred to me by my immediate network, an approach I will continue to maintain as the business moves forward.
By establishing myself as an independent resourcing partner and purposely remaining a small business, I am able to ensure the following;
Cost effectiveness and flexibility, working to a model that is right for my clients and associates and not just for me.
Highest quality of service at every stage as I am the first point of contact all of the time.
Agile approach in order to respond quickly and effectively and to work with partners who I believe will have a positive impact on my business and the clients I support.
Transparency at all times in order to build and maintain trust and demonstrate value for money throughout the process.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
“In the past 12 months with Xylem, I’ve delivered the Keynote address to final year nurse associate students at the University Centre of South Devon, giving them an insight into the healthcare sector and, hopefully, inspiring them in their chosen careers. Also, in two separate assignments, I have led on implementing the MSK improvement programme, which will increase the quality of service delivery for our patients, generate much needed cost savings linked to reduced hospital admissions and length of stay, and a greater integration between primary and secondary car. A very happy 1st birthday to Xylem Resourcing Partners and I wish them continued success!”
With several live assignments underway and few new ones commencing in April, Year 2 promises to be another busy one. Hopefully a few of the ideas I’ve been toying with will come into fruition but ultimately my main hope is to continue providing an excellent service to my clients and associates and that the Xylem brand continues to grow for the right reasons.
On a last note, I just want to thank everyone who has supported me and played a part in the business getting to this point. Clients, associates, partners, family and friends, there are countless of you. Setting up a new business in what is a saturated market was never going to be easy but I believe my passion in creating a model that disrupts tradition and is genuinely built on trying to do things the right way, will ensure Xylem’s continued success.
For further information about what we do please visit the website or contact me on either 07505476576 or at jamie@xylemresourcing.co.uk