BATTLING THROUGH EXTREME driving conditions, Trust Transport Manager Dawn Hall is not afraid to do whatever is necessary to put patients first.
Dawn, 54, has worked at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust for just over 28 years. She began her career in the NHS working as the manager of the general office at Sandwell, and since then she’s held a number of roles in a number of different fields. She’s worked in car parking, waste management, building development, and now manages all transport services across the Trust, from the staff shuttle bus to ambulances and patient transport.
And whatever role she’s found herself in, Dawn always strives to be dedicated and does the job to the best of her abilities. “No two days are the same for me,” she says. “I can be dealing with waste one day, and the next I’m helping a patient by searching for suitable transport for them. All patients have different needs, and it’s my job to solve any problems. For example, we recently had a bariatric patient who needed transport, so that became my priority.”
With a job that is challenging and rewarding, Dawn ensures she always does a good job each day. Tackling challenges head-on is something she is particularly good at, and she recalls the story of one winter when a seriously ill patient in intensive care desperately needed a piece of life-saving equipment. With plummeting temperatures and freezing conditions making travel extremely treacherous, there were no drivers available to undertake the 100 mile round trip. Undeterred, Dawn saw what had to be done and so she jumped in her car and drove through the snow and ice for hours to collect it from another hospital. It was a dangerous drive which needed a police escort to make sure she got onto the motorway safely, but in the end she succeeded in bringing the equipment back to Sandwell Hospital and the patient survived.
Dawn is currently sourcing a new waste disposal system for the Trust, using alternative technologies in order to provide a better, cleaner, and cheaper way to dispose of clinical and domestic waste. “I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty,” she said. “I’m always happy to get stuck in to a project and I’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Her career highlight, however, is not one where she was dealing with waste or transport, but with royalty. In a previous role she helped commission and design Sandwell’s sexual health clinic – the Dartmouth Clinic. “And Princess Diana came to unveil it, which was just the icing on the cake!” she continued. “Definitely one of my proudest moments.”
In her spare time, Dawn enjoys gardening and spending time with her two children. She has three pet cats and her long term plan for the future is to move to Dorset with her husband.
