Introducing…Alexia Pellowe
Every month you can find out more about staff within East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, including what they enjoy most about their work and what they get up to in their spare time.
This month we’re ‘Introducing’…
Alexia Pellowe, Clinical Director at EAHSCP
Alexia became Clinical Director at East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership in July 2022, previously working as a Stakeholder GP from 2015 to 2018.
We asked her some questions about her day-to-day working life…
What does a typical working day look like for you?
No day is ever the same!
An important part of my role involves clinical governance, and issues may arise at any time that need further scrutiny, support, investigation or escalation.
I chair the Health and Care governance group and the Prison and Custody governance group, and co-chair pharmacotherapy implementation groups, the GP forum and the Adverse Event Review Group. I also represent independent contractors in East Ayrshire to the wider partnership and support the quality agenda, including cluster quality improvement and CPD for GPs.
Although that makes a lot of my job meeting heavy, the purpose and outcome of each meeting is so varied and interesting.
What are your favourite aspects of your job?
I am really passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of both the residents and staff in East Ayrshire.
My first 12 months in post have been a journey of understanding the strengths we have here, and also the areas where we have the most potential to make a real difference short and long-term.
I love finding solutions to complex problems and working with our collaborative leaders to advance our health and social care even further.
We have some really talented teams with fantastic commitment from staff to improve the health and wellbeing of the people that they care for and I think they are the Rolls Royce engine of this partnership.
What advice (if any) has helped you succeed in your role?
A wise woman once said to me: “Don’t change your personality even if it makes you stand out. Be your genuine authentic self as you are here because of who that person is.”
At the time I was dialling down my personality to try to fit in or be less irritatingly positive, but now I wholly embrace that part of my character as a real strength. It is possible to be serious, professional and keep your authenticity too.
What are your top tips for looking after your wellbeing?
Take time to recognise what it is you enjoy and do more of it!
I also think we might all be prone to spending too much time on screens – checking emails out of work and scrolling through Facebook or Instagram stories – and the smart algorithms behind these are focused on keeping you on that device.
I have now turned all alerts off on my phone (except my alarm that is!) and I put it away when I can to spend more time with people I love or visiting places I love.
What do I enjoy doing more of? I am a huge football fan with three football daft kids. I really missed playing in a team myself so I did my coaching badge and now coach at their club in my spare time.
This means I see more of them, I get to kick about a bit myself and, of course, it gets me away from my screens too.
Thanks for chatting with us Alexia!
Don’t miss next month’s ‘Introducing’, where we’ll be hearing from another member of the senior management team!
