Name: Paula Atkin
Title: Healthcare estates lead at EDGE
What I do: My role within the EDGE strategic advisory services team provides our health and social care clients with a broad range of strategic services incorporating business case facilitation, healthcare planning, estate strategy, feasibility studies, clinical pathways and workshop facilitation for a wide array of NHS clients.
Why I got into the property industry: I’d worked in the NHS for 22 years in both clinical and estate roles, with my most recent positions being a senior estates advisor within NHSE Capital and Commercial Team and as part of the National Capital Assurance Team. I was fortunate enough to have helped to assure a series of business cases that unlocked transformational capital projects across the NHS estate. My goals have also been centred around providing and assisting healthcare organisations in delivering estate priorities and supporting their objectives. A fundamental reason for joining EDGE was consistent with achieving this goal, but doing so by supporting those organisations as an external consultant to try to ease pressure from within NHS healthcare estate teams.
How I did it: My career path to property hasn’t been the most ‘conventional’. During my 22 years in the NHS, I progressed through various roles – from registered nurse, to infection control, to the estates department, and then onto senior healthcare positions within NHS England, eventually becoming a senior estates advisor. I’ve always strived to broaden my knowledge, excel in all that I do and subsequently have never stopped learning, which has brought me to a leading property and construction consultancy where I’m welcoming a real change in perspective from the NHS.
My first proper job: I was an admin assistant at the Crown Prosecution Service in Middlesborough, working there for 13 years before making the move to nursing.
My first big break: Into estates was applying for a lead nurse post in the estates, facilities and planning department – I’ve never looked back.
My inspiration(s): My dad, who taught me that being nice, respecting people, being honest and working hard will pay you dividends – it’s true!
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: Delivering capital projects, from conception through to completion in a built environment that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with not only so much critical infrastructure to consider, but patient and staff safety at all times.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: Managing to study for both a BSc in nursing and a MSc in planning buildings for health with very young children.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: That hospital buildings are easy to run – there’s so much that the average person doesn’t see going on behind the scenes of a hospital. Patients, staff and members of the public don’t necessarily understand the hard work that goes into managing a hospital and the dedicated teams ‘behind’ the scenes who are focused on both maintaining the facility, but also in developing the infrastructure too.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: The sporadic nature of capital funding in healthcare estates. Granting and directing planned funding would help to ease the pressure on the estates teams, allowing them to realise and deliver on their service delivery targets much sooner.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: I’ve been able to consistently learn, adapt progress through new roles. DE&I is really important to me to ensure that those same opportunities are achievable for anyone – no matter their personal circumstances.
Why I’m so passionate about ESG: The environment, our people and the policies in place to protect them are so important – these are things that will become our future very quickly, and I want my family to grow up in a world that I’m proud to have left behind.
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: Continuing to work hard, develop my professional skills even further and allow for some time to reflect on what I have achieved to date.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: All of my family and friends, three of which unfortunately are no longer with us.
What I do in my downtime: I enjoy walking my dog, swimming, taking holidays and going to the pub.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: I would return to nursing as I’ve always enjoyed the clinical side and connecting with people.
My advice for someone just starting out: Be honest, observe, listen, ask lots of questions and always work hard.
My motto/mantra: Know your audience.
