Joanne Cleasby
29th April 2019Jo is an excellent PA to the Clinical Director and to three Assistant Directors, a demanding workload by anyone’s standards. Jo will often think ahead to schedule meetings wisely, helping to proactively address a variety of issues. When Jo sees something that needs doing she will find a good way to get it done! Jo also has excellent people skills and is known by all in Enfield Health and its regular visitors as the ‘go to’ person for any urgent requests.
Her warmth and ability to help others, often when busy herself, means that she is always in demand and must maintain a fast pace to juggle priorities. Jo appears to thrive on variety and enjoys the opportunity to learn more. As a result, she is hugely valued for her contribution to the smooth running of services at every level; from knowing where to order the best Christmas Hampers for staff, to helping colleagues find an urgent document and supporting patients in distress. Jo is never intimidated by a challenge and her forthright manner enables her to identify what’s truly important and to bring calm and focus to a situation.
Examples of Jo’s diplomatic nature in recent times include: supporting a Consultant who was being threatened by a patient, smoothing the way for both parties to leave the situation with their dignity and safety intact. On another occasion, Jo found an angry and threatening patient wandering in a staff only area and was able to calm and support them to leave the area and address their issues more appropriately. She also took the initiative to calm a distressed and disturbed member of staff when others felt unable to do so. Jo may not realise how very skilled and able she is and just how valued she is by those who work with her.
“Winning an Unsung Hero Award was an amazing achievement – it felt like a real validation of all my hard work and effort. The Awards Ceremony itself was wonderful, it was lovely to meet so many people from all over the NHS – all of whom work incredibly hard every day” – Joanne Cleasby.
