Day in the Life of Lindsey Ward
What’s your name and job title?
Lindsey Ward, Head of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).
What team do you work in at NHS Supply Chain?
Commercial.
What does your typical working day entail?
No day is truly the same. As a team we work across four workstream areas, so there is always something moving! Whether that be our SRM Programme, our projects under Supplier Development, Performance and Risk or our activities underway with Innovation. My days are always engaging and full of content and variety. There’s always lots of juggling of balls to be done given the array of things we all have underway currently but the variety keeps the days exciting, fresh and interesting. Now that we are working in the Target Operating Model I am sure the days will continue to morph and change as we develop as a team and I am so excited for this year and what we can deliver together.
Being able to give something back through what we do here is a huge focus of mine and I’m stubborn when it comes to making sure we succeed.
Please can you tell us an example of a successful project you have recently been involved in and what was the value for the customer?
We recently held a Trade Association day at our Nottingham office where ourselves, NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care got together with Trade Associations to discuss the future of our engagement and how we can better align, communicate and collaborate. This will benefit our customers by offering clearer messaging, more efficient use of time and agreement of deliverables that help address pain points across the system using Trade Association expertise, support and input.
It was great collaborative effort across the three entities and a really productive face to face workshop activity. I’m really looking forward to taking the outputs of that and moving things further forward.
What job did you to prior to joining NHS Supply Chain? Which previous role did you enjoy the most and why?
I was Head of SRM at Babcock International Limited and found the whole world of tanks, submarines and warships fascinating. I’ve been in Procurement most of my career and still get a buzz today as I did 20 odd year ago. My SRM roles are the ones I have enjoyed the most without a doubt though. It’s where my heart and passion is and I feel very lucky and proud to be growing a team and taking our approach forward for NHS Supply Chain.
As a complete separate aside and before my SRM and Procurement life… I used to do World Class Manufacturing Consultancy, which involved providing team building training in my early career days. I used to love running those interactive days and seeing people leave the room more bonded and insightful on how they gel and work together. Even then, there was a clear theme developing around relationships and connections.
What motivates you?
From a work perspective, I need to sleep straight in bed at night knowing I’ve delivered a good days work, that I’ve given the best of myself and produced something worthwhile and of value. That sounds very basic and simple but so very true of how my brain and emotions work. Being able to apply that in the NHS environment is a Brucey bonus as my own family experiences means the NHS is close to my heart.
Being able to give something back through what we do here is a huge focus of mine and I’m stubborn when it comes to making sure we succeed. Knowing my team are happy, successful and developing is also a huge motivator and I’m always conscious we work hard but laugh hard too. Monday to Friday is way too long a stretch of the week to be unhappy, so a happy work life for myself and my team really matters to me.
Outside of work, being the best mum I can be to our little man drives me immensely and a Chinese takeaway can always get anything out of me when motivation is flagging a little!!
Finally, tell us about yourself!
I’m not far off 50 and my brain is refusing to acknowledge that to date. I am married to a guy I’ve known since I was 6 years of age and we have the joys now of seeing our seven year old come home with little love letters in his school bag from the same cloakroom my husband remembers placing them in my bag. Surreal but lovely. We have recently added a kitten to the family fold called Maximus, he’s adorable and still loved despite initially assuming the living room rug was one big ‘dumping’ area.
I don’t have an array of hobbies. What spare time I have is spent with close family and friends. The introduction of VR headsets and having two gaming enthusiasts in the family means I’m prone to the odd bit of competitive gaming, whether I like it or not (I do to be fair). As a family we love making memories and doing things together. We were extremely lucky to do Lapland last December and it’s a memory that will stay with me always – pure festive joy.
I come from a close family and my parents mean the world to me. My Mum has dementia, hence the NHS having a personal close to the heart perspective for me, and that never gets any easier despite the time that passes. It is, however, an amazing reminder that forces me to keep perspective on life and make the most of it. If I manage to be half as good a mum as my own then I’ll have done an awesome job of it.