Can you tell us a bit about your role here at Venturi Cardiology? What does your day-to-day look like?
As Managing Director of Venturi, no two days are the same. One day I might be meeting with board members of a NHS hospital trust to discuss a new patient pathway, the next I might be recruiting and training new staff for the clinic or putting new systems in place to enhance the patient experience. We are always looking for new technologies that will improve the journey to health and well-being.
What brought you to Venturi?
Preventative medicine and heart screening tests are very important to me. Three years ago, my mum died of heart attack without any warning. She was young (59), still working full time and full of life. The loss was devastating. If improving access to diagnostics stops just one family from losing a mum, nanna or loved one prematurely then we’ve done a good thing.
Personal reasons aside, when I first met the three consultants, and they shared their vision for Venturi, their passion and enthusiasm was palpable. They really wanted to make a different to patients and reshape the way cardiology care was delivered. To have an opportunity to join them on this journey was too good to be true. Being Venturi’s MD is a little bit of everything I love. I get to shape and design services to deliver better care for patients, work with a team of people who are committed and passionate about what they do and interact, on a daily basis, with those to whom we are delivering the service. Hearing their stories, supporting their needs – it is a daily reminder of why we do what we do.
Prior to working at Venturi, had you worked in any other areas of healthcare?
I have worked in healthcare my whole life, both public and private. My first real job was with BUPA. I worked there for nine years in a variety of roles. I started in Private Medical Insurance looking after customers who worked for very large corporates. Working at BUPA made me realise how emotive healthcare was and how stressful patients found not knowing what was wrong with them. The relief and gratitude patients showed when you confirmed cover for them, and they could go ahead and get the treatment they needed was heart-warming.
I then moved over to BUPA Hospitals (now Spire). Working in hospitals was an opportunity to see the patient experience first-hand. For the first time I met the consultants and clinicians in the flesh and realised they were not scary but rather, that they are just like you and me, with families and a sense of humour (usually!). They all care passionately about looking after their patients.
For the next 10 years I worked in Primary Care, initially as a GP practice manager and then in more senior roles. I worked for different primary care providers, from small but innovate providers to very large corporates like Virgin Care. In every practice, in every organisation the patient was at the heart of everything I did. During this time I worked with commissioners to design and develop a number of additional services to enhance the care we deliver for patients. I enjoyed this part of my career immensely.
What do you perceive as being the biggest challenges in healthcare today?
In the wake of Covid and with waiting lists at an all time high, the NHS has a real challenge to get through the back log of people who need to be seen. One of the ways the NHS is hoping to meet that need is through the creation of community diagnostic hubs which bring care into the community. Venturi hopes to become one of these community diagnostic hubs which can offer NHS patients appointment through their GP. Venturi will also see self-paying patients, those with private medical insurance and we have corporate packages available. So hopefully something for everyone. Our consultations start at £150, and can be virtual or in person. We really want to transform access to diagnostics so that no one is missed and everyone gets the treatment they need when it matters.
We are currently offering a 10% discount off consultations, register your interest here and use the offer code 10%Lisa.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
