Who are you?
I am Peter Burnett, director of finance.
Summarise your role.
It is my job to help ensure the Trust stays within its allocated funding and help ensure the hard-earned tax payers' funds we are allocated are used as effectively as possible in providing safe and high-quality patient care.
What do you find rewarding about your role?
The most rewarding part is helping shape our clinical services so that we can make a greater difference to patients and our staff’s lives. Making a difference is what drives me. All of us can make a difference, regardless of our roles, as what we do can make an enormous difference to the quality of patients’ lives. There will be occasions when we need to be brave and call out things when they are not as they should be.
What do you find challenging?
SASH is an amazing organisation, with exceptional staff who have dedicated their lives to providing safe, high quality and compassionate care. You can see it in people’s eyes how much they care.
All finance and procurement staff share that passion, which is why we have chosen to work for the NHS. However, we don’t have access to endless funds so we have to ask people to scale back on what they are asking for, or better still use existing resources in more effective ways. This is often difficult and not always well received.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
I love gardening. The ability to create a display of colours. Something that make passing people stop and stare for a few seconds, smile before they move on their daily journeys with slightly uplifted spirits.
I have also joined the SASH running and walking club. This is a small group of really friendly and fantastic people who meet up every Wednesday evening to either run or walk around the local area. Regardless of your ability please come along and join us, you will be made very welcome.