I joined the Trust in 2021 as a Corporate Records Officer, working as part of the Corporate Records Management team to provide guidance for managing and sharing records that are not related to individual patient treatment (we focus on corporate records, while patient records are managed by the Health Records team). My team helps our colleagues answer questions like: "How should I organise and store my records?"; "Can I throw files away?"; "I found a bunch of old files, what should I do with them?"
I love my job, and love supporting the Trust in this function. Not only do I get to interact with a wide range of friendly colleagues across all of our sites, but our work also supports the day-to-day business of the Trust, ensuring that information can be located and easily retrieved, and allowing the Trust to operate efficiently and account for its actions. I am happy to help with any records management questions big or small, so please do not hesitate to reach out!
I joined the Trust after a really fun professional journey, beginning as a Ph.D. research chemist in the States, followed by a long stint in the Mad Men world of advertising stationed in New York City, Dubai, and London, and then a nice pivot into my current focus on records management. The common thread running through my happy career is curiosity, an eagerness to learn, a desire to make a positive impact on my organisation, and a quest to find ways to make information really useful and helpful to others. I'm originally from Canada, and have enjoyed settling in London where I live with my husband and enjoy daily runs on Hampstead Heath.
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
In the summer of 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the butler and his housekeeper.
Jennifer says: "I loved the way that the writer captured the language, perspectives & voice of the ageing butler Stevens, his relationship with Miss Kenton, and the details of his journey across England".
Cat's Eye - Margaret Atwood
Cat's Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal.
Jennifer says: "I'm originally from Canada, and Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite Canadian writers. While she's probably best known for The Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye is my personal favourite as it captures so many of the dynamics of friendship between young girls".
Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
Jennifer says: "This is a story of the world after a pandemic (written years before coronavirus), and what I love most is the optimism, hope and beauty that arises out of the new post-pandemic world. The many characters and their back stories make for an almost cinematic story that is really gripping".
H is for Hawk - Helen Macdonald
Obsession, madness, memory, myth, and history combine to achieve a distinctive blend of nature writing and memoir from an outstanding literary innovator.
Jennifer says: "This is a beautiful memoir about the writer's relationship with a goshawk, describing the healing, emotional journey of adopting & training a falcon, along with lots of fascinating details about what goes into taming such a wild creature".
The Orphan Master's Son - Adam Johnson
Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother - a singer "stolen" to Pyongyang - and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labour. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return.
Jennifer says: "Another book that immediately pulls the reader into a suspenseful, vivid, cinematic story, this is set in North Korea, and features incredible details of day-to-day life there, while also creating heart racing suspense as the main characters plot an escape".
Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
In his long-awaited first novel, American master George Saunders delivers his most original, transcendent, and moving work yet. Unfolding in a graveyard over the course of a single night, narrated by a dazzling chorus of voices, Lincoln in the Bardo is a literary experience unlike any other—for no one but Saunders could conceive it.
Jennifer says: "And my last book for my Desert Island, one that I haven't yet read, is Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders. One of the best books that I read in 2021 was A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, where he "taught" his approach to writing by using a bunch of classic Russian short stories (it was like being a student in a creative writing class, a great experience!), and he came across as such a friendly, generous writer that it made me eager to read his works of fiction. Lincoln in the Bardo is on my list for the year ahead!
Luxury Item
"For my luxury item, I would bring my trusty running shoes, as I get so much enjoyment and relaxation from my daily morning jog".
Record
"I'd take anything by the Canadian band The Tragically Hip, as they're the perfect music for a summer afternoon".