A day in the life of…Fiona Young, Sensory Local Business Manager

Tell us about your role.

“I am a Local Business Manager within the Sensory Team. ECL’s sensory service supports people who are partially sighted, blind, hard of hearing, deaf or deafblind to live independently. We are first point of contact for everyone needing sensory support in Essex and provide tailored rehabilitation and one to one specialist support.

My job involves managing a team of communicator guides, a trusted assessor and resource planner who all assist customers to not only live safely and independently at home, but to also access their community including help with attending medical appointments. Our customers are mainly contract customers, which means they are referred to us from social care with weekly visits that are funded by the local authority and customer contribution. Our team provide weekly support for as long as we are needed and our aim is to be their sight and/or hearing to enable the customer to do whatever they need to do during our time with them.”

What does a typical day look like for you?

“I know everyone says this, but really no day is the same! There’s never a typical day for me. I do a bit of everything and each day there is a new set of challenges that come up. Primarily my job is to be the liaison between all services including adult social care and other health and social care providers. Because I am part of the management team I also have lots of meetings, am involved in planning, reviews etc. But I also go out and do some assessments and resource planning if needed too. Occasionally I go and support customers, if we’re short staffed, which I really love, and gives me the opportunity to put a face to the name and check in with how they are being supported by the team.”

What do you love most about your role?

“What I love most about my role is the amazing feedback we get from our customers. Our service makes such a huge difference to the quality of people’s lives and hearing them share their gratitude makes me so proud of what we do. Customers are over the moon when they get a contract with us because it means they can get out and about and live more independently and the transformation that this creates for each individual is phenomenal. Our service is truly life changing and because of this it is by far my favourite support role of my career to date. ECL is also where I have felt most rewarded and supported by my employer.”

Advice to those thinking of a move to ECL’s Sensory service:

“The Sensory team is a fantastic group and the training provided is second to none. I came to ECL with no background in sensory services and I was provided with a wealth of training and support. The training was very enlightening and I shadowed all roles in the team which was invaluable. To anyone interested in what we do I’d say, come and shadow us and see it first-hand. We’d be happy to have you for the day and give you an insight into what we do.

What are your future aspirations for the team?

“To keep growing. There are still so many people across Essex who need our support and need someone to help get them out and about and boost their confidence. Our ambition as a team is to continue to grow so that we can support everybody that needs it.”