This is Sarah Bartholomew and she is the new Commercial Director at Here. In this video, Sarah talks about how her work in healthcare helps to create new possibilities for Here, Primary Care and the patients it serves in the community (with a special appearance by Ella, Maisie and Lyla).

How would you describe your role to your children?

I would probably say that a commercial director, Ella, is about seeing what opportunities there are for us to grow as a business.

Why do you love what you do?

I get so energised by my job. I love thinking about the art of the possible and I love thinking about what opportunities are coming up, what the opportunities are now. I really enjoy trying to think about how Here can get ahead of the curve.

In my new role it’s about understanding what are the opportunities now in COVID-19? What are the problems that people are experiencing? What is the problem that general practice is experiencing and how can we help? How can we bring value and help in this crisis situation?

Tell us about the Covid-19 Hot Site

The purpose of the Brighton Covid Hot Site is for patients of Brighton and Hove and of Newhaven who have COVID symptoms, to be able to go somewhere that is really safe to get the care and support that they need from clinicians. It also enables our primary care work force to work in a very safe way.

How did the community respond to the Hot Site

It was really great to see the response that we got from the community. We had the Hurstpierpoint Seamstresses provide us with scrubs. I love my scrubs! I’ve got a pair of Brighton and Hove Albion scrubs, which those that know me well know how much I love my football. So I cannot wait to get my scrubs on when I go to the hot site.

Here are Selma and Sarah rocking their specially made @OfficialBHAFC scrubs getting ready for the Brighton & Hove #HotHub. The scrubs were kindly donated by Hurstpierpoint Seamstresses ?The Hot Hub is open to patients who have been referred by their GP. @selmaalabama pic.twitter.com/e0cnPboQZf

— Here (@care_unbound) April 24, 2020

We also had a school make visors for us. I’ve always believed that there’s a treasure trove of information, of skills, of expertise within the community where you live. And it’s about harnessing that in order to deliver something really meaningful.

The hot site was set up for four patients who need a clinical assessment, who have got COVID symptoms or who are living in a household with someone who has COVID symptoms. And of course, they get people with with fever and coughs. But that’s that’s the kind of headlines that you see. But actually, you talk about the people and you just realize the complexity and how this impacts people’s lives.

They’ve been dealing with babies. They’ve been dealing with children. They’ve had people with cancers, people with leukemia, and people who have various health health conditions. I’m really, really proud of the work that we did on the hot sites. This really enabled me to understand the problems and challenges that we’re facing now in the city and be able to respond to that. It’s enabled me to connect to what matters right now for the people of Britain have it’s enabled me to foster some relationships which I haven’t had with people.

And I’m really proud of the team as well. This feels a bit of a catalyst to how we can engage on a really positive level with with our local community, our local commissioners, primary care clinical directors going forward. So I’m really excited around how we can build on that and take that forward when people are open to explore ideas and people are open to work collaboratively.When people are really clear about their problem, then it’s really exciting for me. Thinking about, okay, how could Here be the solution to that?

The great thing about children is they’re really grounding. So I go home and they really don’t care what kind of day I’ve had at work. Being a working mum is important to me. And bringing that whole self to both work and my home is important. So I shall get home. I shall have my three kids all over me and it will be lovely.