Joanne Aston is a highly valued member of PGPA working as the Personalised Care Team Lead for the Upper Calder Valley PCN.
She began her career at the Cooperative Wholesale Society (CWS), where she quickly progressed from a Trainee in the Property Department to a permanent Recruitment Assistant. “I absolutely loved this role as every day was varied, I got to meet everyone and anyone from school leavers starting their Youth Training Scheme (YTS) journey to graduates starting on their junior manager journey. It involved attending lots of career events throughout Manchester, meeting with different departments within the CWS to do YTS reviews and support with any training needs.”
Joanne reflects that this early experience helped her develop confidence: “21 years old and sat talking to a senior manager about their YTS and how they were doing, with an amazing manager who never failed to recognise potential.”
In 2003, Joanne joined the NHS in Oldham, initially in the Lifestyle Intervention Team and later in the Health Improvement Service. Over 11 years, she trained in stop smoking, walking, cycling, and running programmes, and took on her first team lead role managing the One-Stop-Shop admin team. “Every day was different, and I loved the contact with the service users, the staff, the variety and the no two hours were ever the same,” she recalls.
Joanne then joined the Macmillan One to One/Information and Support Team, where she discovered her passion for supporting patients on their cancer journey. “I loved the contact with the service users, especially supporting the patients who had received a palliative diagnosis, ensuring that they got the right benefits as quickly as possible and the right financial support, the emotional support and just been that person at the right time at the right moment.”
In February 2020, Joanne joined PGPA as a Social Prescriber at Todmorden Group Practice. “I really enjoyed the Social Prescribing Link Worker role, connecting the patients with the support they needed, being there to listen to their concerns, providing the time they needed and looking at what matters to them and not what is the matter with me.”
After three years, she stepped into her current role as Personalised Care Team Lead, supporting Social Prescribers and Care Coordinators across the Upper Calder Valley. She credits the guidance of her PCN Manager and Clinical Director for her success: “I genuinely feel the support I have from the PCN Manager, and the Clinical Director has been instrumental in enjoying my role at the PCT Lead in the UCVPCN.”
“Recently, Joanne completed the Social Prescribing Level 3 Training, which reinforced her knowledge, supported her management style and her understanding of the health needs within the community. She explains: ‘I am grateful for the opportunity to have undertaken the training, and I feel it has really helped me in my role.’
Joanne’s journey reflects her dedication to patient-centred care, team leadership, and creating supportive environments that enable both colleagues and patients to thrive.