Zoe Stockwell

• My main responsibilities include acting as the first point of contact for the befriending service, screening referrals, making the initial client visit, assessing the support they might need and providing information and signposting, assessing suitability for the service and completing a home risk assessment. Once a client is matched, I provide ongoing support and escalate any urgent or safeguarding issues to the appropriate authorities.
• During the first three months of my role, I updated the referral and risk assessment forms, and established good working relationships with the referring agencies to ensure a smooth referral process. I used my excellent prioritisation and time management skills to effectively reduce the waiting list to a manageable level. I have developed a good understanding of services delivered in the Mole Valley area and am able to deliver appropriate information to clients in a professional and supportive manner.

I initially joined Mint Velvet as a temporary member of staff over the Christmas period. I quickly adapted to the role, and within three months I was offered a permanent position as a Senior Style Advisor. When the Store Manager left I stepped up to fill their role on a temporary basis until a new permanent manager was found eight months later. Despite having no previous experience in the industry, I was able to take on the administrative tasks effectively, including organising the rota, ensuring staff hours were accurately submitted for payroll, banking, dealing with customer queries in a professional and sensitive manner, and supporting junior team members. After I started my job at Age Concern Mole Valley, I returned to my previous Senior Style Advisor role.

I worked in the Community Speech and Language Therapy Team, managing a large caseload of adults in their home or care home. I was mainly involved in assessing and supporting patients with long term neurological conditions, like Motor Neurone Disease, or advanced dementia. I gained a huge insight into the difficulties families face in caring for their loved ones and in trying to navigate the system and processes involved. My biggest achievement was learning how to remain calm whilst dealing with families under immense strain, whilst also finding the best treatment plan for my patients.

I worked in a busy acute hospital providing swallowing and communication assessments for patients with a variety of medical conditions, including stroke, progressive neurological disorders and dementia. One of my main achievements was developing a training course for nurses and healthcare assistants.

I was the sole Speech and Language Therapist working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing treatment for patients requiring end of life care. I developed skills in supporting patients and their families to make informed choices, particularly around continuing to eat and drink.

I worked in the neuro-rehabilitation team, supporting adults with newly diagnosed long terms conditions, including MS, Parkinson's disease, and Motor Neurone Disease.

My main achievements included organising and running groups for patients with communication difficulties following a stroke.