In May, we welcomed Caroline Hughes to our team as our full-time Support Services manager.
Caroline oversees the whole of our Support Services and is the first point of call for anyone who has been directly affected by meningitis or has any questions about the disease.
Before joining our team, Caroline worked for over six years at Age UK, helping people access community services, support, and activities to enhance their health and well-being.
We caught up with Caroline to find out more about her life and the last six months leading our support services.
What made you want to join Meningitis Research Foundation?
I was keen to take on a role where I would be part of a team making a tangible and positive impact on people’s lives. I had not worked with people affected by meningitis before, but was enthusiastic about the opportunity, and the achievements and future ambitions of Meningitis Research Foundation. I have also never worked in an international organisation, so was excited to learn more about that, whilst bringing in my own love for local-led opportunities and solutions for communities.
Also just practically, I had been commuting from Bristol to East London for my previous job, so was keen to settle into Bristol a bit more and have some of that travel time (and money) back!
What was your background before Meningitis Research Foundation?
I had been working at a local Age UK for over 6 years before joining MRF. My most recent role was overseeing our social prescribing services, which is all about connecting people to the services, support, activities and groups in their community, to support their health, wellbeing and happiness. I learnt there just how valuable local solutions are for addressing the needs of communities, and am a real advocate for supporting community based initiatives to make relevant and positive change.
Before that I was running a food delivery service for older adults who couldn’t do their own shopping. It was a hectic, busy and highly rewarding experience. Sadly that service lost funding in the midst of the pandemic, but was another opportunity to provide a local, community-embedded service that responded to the needs of that specific population.
What is your role and what does it involve?
I’m the Support Services Manager and my responsibility is to oversee all of our vital support opportunities for people who have been affected by meningitis.
This includes responding to people’s concerns on our helpline, email and website. I also provide emotional support to those struggling with their experience of meningitis, including those who have sadly been bereaved.
We are undertaking important outreach to groups we know to be more at risk of meningitis or who may be vaccine-hesitant.
We also have our wonderful volunteer Ambassador programme, made up of people affected by meningitis who use their voices and experience to raise awareness in their communities. It’s a very rewarding role and I’m so proud of the support we’re able to provide people who have been affected by meningitis across the UK and Ireland.
What is your favourite/most rewarding thing about the job?
We have hundreds of hugely varied conversations a year with people who have been affected by meningitis.
I think what I find most rewarding is having one of these conversations, whether by phone, email or Live Chat, and feeling like the person I’ve spoken to has left the conversation in a better place than where we started. I may have been able to provide practical advice, make some referrals or send some suggestions for other organisations they may want to contact. Sometimes though we’ve just had a bit of a catch up about their experience, and that in itself is really valuable for people to feel listened to, heard and understood in their experience.
Coming away from a conversation, feeling positive that the other person has gained something from it, makes the role what it is.
