Shaun Harris is a student currently working at The Royal Oldham Hospital as part of the Northern Care Alliance wide supported internship programme.
He began his new placement in early January and has been getting to grips with his role making the most of all opportunities as well as having fun. Shaun is part of the Trust's ‘Bridging the Gap’ programme which prepares our interns for future employment and helps them gain many new transferable work skills.
Over to you Shaun…
“Hi, my name is Shaun Harris. I am 19 years old, and I work at The Royal Oldham hospital in the kitchen department. I am on the ‘Bridging the Gap’ (BGT) programme.
I start my day by get up and ready to go to the hospital. As soon as I have got up, had my breakfast, and got my footwear and coat on, I make sure I have time to catch my bus to the hospital. When I get off the bus, if I have time, I go and take a seat in Café Royal and then I go to the Education Centre to meet my job coach Hayley.
I then make my way to the kitchen where I get changed and put on some visitors uniform before I start work. When I start, I usually ask Michelle, Ron, or Chris what they would like me to do. Then I do that task, which has been asked, and this could be anything, like wrapping the naan breads, filling the bean pots or even apple sauce, then I have my break for 10 minutes.
On my break I have a cup of tea and some toast and biscuits if I get offered. If I have not finished with the task I previously did, I’ll continue with that or if I have then I will ask for another task.
I will usually work with Eddie or Derell filling the containers of mash or portioning the cake to go to the wards. Some other jobs I do is helping out making the soups or once I have even helped the chef make a curry.
I go on my dinner break at 12:30pm and it finishes at 1pm. I then go back to the kitchen to work for another hour. I usually prepare the food for the wards. I collect the food which has been prepared earlier in the week and bring it to be portioned off and put on the correct trolleys for each ward.
I really enjoy my placement and being on BTG. I am gaining lots of work experience and lots of work skills.”