Noah
Horne

Noah obtained  his undergraduate degree in Politics and International Relations, Political Science and Government  in 2021 and then his Master in Politics and Public Policy in 2022, both at  NTU.  He is now a Trainee Contract and Finance Assistant for the NHS.

What is a typical day like in your role?

A typical day is difficult to describe as I am very fortunate that my work is highly varied. A ‘typical day’ might involve liaising with services within the hospital to ensure that their needs are in order from a contractual perspective, such as examining key performance indicators. I will assess the performance of hospital services and services provided by both private and voluntary sectors. My goal is to ensure the patient receives the best possible experience. Outside of my contract work, I am fortunate to have a few projects I lead and take part in directly which varies my day-to-day activities diversifying my portfolio of work.

What attracted you to this field of work?

Through studying politics I have always had an affinity towards the NHS, learning about its inception after being founded by Aneurin Bevan, to how it has been expanded through the existence of a multicultural society. This culminated in work I did during my master’s degree in Politics and Public Policy where I had the opportunity to engage with Nottingham University Hospital to produce a policy report. The report focused on assessing the barriers to career development for international nurses which opened my eyes to the inequalities that exist within this beloved institution, and which impact those who helped build it. When completing my Masters, I knew that the NHS was where I needed to be and fell into the world of contracts which was a happy accident.

What have been the highlights and biggest challenges of your career so far?

I am faced by challenges every day, through learning new skills to comprehend the portfolio of work I have to complete, and understanding the importance of organisation when juggling multiple projects. Challenges like this have resulted in moments of crushed confidence and moments of perseverance as the way to get through it is to stay resilient. If you remember why you are doing this and that it is ok to struggle sometimes as we are all human and it doesn’t mean you are failing if you find a task hard.

The biggest highlight in my career has got to be completing my first project from start to finish as I experienced the highs and lows of project management within the contracts world. This was a lesson in pushing for what you believe in as it can be a great challenge to make change in an institution as old as the NHS.

What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future have changed significantly as I now have a new role lined up for the end of the year in London at a bigger NHS organisation which will bring new opportunities.

If you had a time machine, what would you go back and tell yourself at Uni?

That it will all work out in the end. Work harder but not too hard as you will still have a lot of fun.