The fourth cohort of DE&S colleagues are now halfway through their six-month cross-government mentoring programme with the North Bristol NHS Trust.

Now in its fourth year, the initiative has been extended to 15 DE&S project delivery colleagues, matching them with an NHS partner based on experience, interests and future aspirations.

Through this shared experience, participants will gain a broadened perspective and utilise learnings from their cohort’s networks to identify opportunities and address potential future challenges.

The mentoring programme is a legacy project which followed the exceptional work undertaken during the Covid pandemic, where colleagues from across DE&S and North Bristol NHS Trust worked together at pace, to design and build a 300-bed temporary intensive care unit, known as the Bristol Nightingale Hospital.

During this time, it was recognised that there was a huge mentoring opportunity for reciprocal learning and sharing of knowledge between the two Bristol-based organisations. The programme has continued to help participants flourish long past its inception.

Harriet Narey, Project Manager at DE&S and participant in this year’s programme, said: “I decided to take part in the DE&S and NHS Mentoring Scheme last year as a mentee, when I was working in the NHS, to develop my knowledge on project and programme management. It really helped with a programme I was managing at the time.

“Now as a DE&S employee, having joined earlier this year, I decided to be a mentor and was matched with a mentee in my old organisation. I really enjoy developing people and get a lot of personal satisfaction from the programme by being able to support them in finding solutions to problems that they are finding in their workplace.”

Since the initiative launched in 2020, a total of 142 professionals have collaborated and shared knowledge across organisational boundaries.

Rob Wixey, Head of Function – Project Delivery at DE&S, added: “I am excited to see our long-standing partnership continue during this next mentoring cohort and look forward to celebrating our shared success with our friends in the North Bristol NHS Trust”.

Colleagues’ reasons for getting involved have been varied, including improving personal confidence, getting advice on managing complex projects and discussing career pathways.

Tim Whittlestone, NBT Chief Medical Officer, added: “This is a really fantastic project that is proving valuable for staff at both NBT and DE&S. It is great that we have been able to build this closer working relationship as a legacy of the work we did together during the pandemic, and to see it bringing huge benefits to everyone involved.”