User Involvement Manager
David Jones
What do you do?
I am User Involvement Manager here at Diabetes UK. My role is about supporting Diabetes UK, and colleagues in the NHS and Department of Health, to involve people affected by diabetes in influencing the decisions that affect them.
What is it like to work for Diabetes UK?
Having worked here for one year, I can say it has been challenging and hard work, but the most impressive thing for me is the way that you can always find someone who knows about, or can do, what you need. As important is that people have always been willing to help.
Where did you come from, when and why did you join Diabetes UK?
I worked in the voluntary sector for nearly 10 years (including seven years at the National Deaf Children’s Society), before working for a local authority Sure Start programme, working with parents of children under five in the estates around Euston in London.
Several of my family have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the last few years, so I was interested in the area. Professionally, I came to Diabetes UK to use my experience of user involvement at a national level in the hope that it could make a real difference.
What benefits are there that come from working at Diabetes UK?
I have had amazing opportunities to learn and develop over the last year and had lots of opportunities to learn from colleagues. Training is also actively encouraged. Personally, there are loads of benefits that come from being around so many skilled and knowledgeable people.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love working with the people affected by diabetes who are involved in the reference group I facilitate. I enjoy having the resources and infrastructure around me that allow me to deliver high quality work. I also really enjoy feeling like the work I’m doing is contributing (in a very small way) to improving services for people affected by diabetes.
What values do you feel are important in order to work at Diabetes UK?
I can’t speak for anyone else, but the values that motivate me to work here are:
- Everyone affected by diabetes (people with diabetes, their carers, parents, family and friends) should be getting the best possible care and support from the NHS and organisations like Diabetes UK.
- Involving people in the organisations that aim to serve them is an important means of keeping the service focused on meeting their needs.
- Every individual staff member plays a part in achieving the mission of the organisation – the better I do my job the more likely the organisation is to succeed.