Amy Wilson

Amy Wilson reflects on her first 30 days at Attain

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I have spent my career working in the public sector in a diverse array of commercial roles, advising and influencing senior stakeholders and supporting commissioners to effectively integrate highly complex services. Most recently I led a major procurement working collaboratively with a clinical commissioning group and the local authority to successfully deliver a £400m contract, which plays a significant part in the major transformation of the children’s health and social care system in Essex. I worked closely with the public health team in Essex and led the development and implementation of the public health category strategy covering circa £40m spend and resulting in significant reduction of contracts and rationalisation of supply base, providing the team with clear contract liquidity data and mapping to ensure forward planning and pipeline savings into the future. Before this I delivered the sustainable procurement strategy and policies for Essex County Council and supported clients to successfully achieve sound and tangible social value in procurement and contracting including significant non-financial benefits in tendering. I joined Attain at the beginning of April to have the opportunity to further support commercially sound decision making in the health system and deliver best practise procurement and sustainable health services in Essex.

How have your first 30 days been at Attain?

My first 30 days have been a pleasure and full of variety in terms of the work I have been involved in, the venues that I have worked from and the people I have met along the way. I was lucky enough to participate in a Commercial Team meeting and a company meeting before I formally started which gave me insight into the overarching strategy and business plan. I have been impressed with the structured induction sessions and training I have received as well as some really informative introductory meetings with colleagues, which have supported me to get quickly up to speed with Attain’s policies and business processes. I have also had a buddy who I have spoken to weekly and has been incredibly helpful, as have my colleagues in the wider team. The support and guidance I have received has really enabled me to settle in quickly and get up and running on my projects with a sense of ease and enjoyment.

What attracted you to Attain?

The culture and values that are evidenced in the work ethic and attitude of colleagues I met on previous projects and the extensive experience, knowledge and professionalism of the team are what really attracted me to work for Attain. Attain has a really impressive track record of providing commercial advice and delivering best practise procurements in Essex supporting the clinical commissioning groups and their partners and I really wanted to be a part of that successful delivery.

What’s the best thing about being employed with Attain?

The sense of having a really strong and supportive team around me who are incredibly passionate about delivering meaningful change and knowing that there is so much I can learn from them and their professional expertise and experience. I already feel incredibly proud to work for Attain.

What do you hope the future brings for you with Attain?

My aspiration is to continue to grow and develop personally and professionally with Attain which I have no doubt is an organisation that will really challenge me to evolve and support me to achieve my best along the way. I hope to support my team and customers by continuing to provide sound commercial advice and deliver successful procurements that ensure that the voice and experience of patients and service users is at the heart of design and delivery of healthcare services.