Health tech giant hires first undergraduate

Alcidion hires first undergraduate

Australian health tech giant Alcidion has established a new UK base at the Burnley Business Centre on Empire Way.

Lynette Ousby, Alcidion’s UK managing director and who lives in Hapton, said the company was looking for graduates in the borough, particularly those who had computer science and medical-related degrees.

And now they have their first undergraduate, Toby Cooke, whose parents Justine and Andy run Basics Junior Theatre School and encouraged their son to contact Lynette after reading the article on Burnley.co.uk.

Lynette told us: “We are so pleased to have Toby on board, he really impressed us and continues to do so. We’ve recently signed off a significant deal with the East Lancashire Hospitals Trust and that’s enabled us to take on new starters.

“We’ve found being part of Burnley Bondholders has already been so incredibly helpful and we’ve not been members for long. Justine Cooke also owns Positive Solutions creative marketing, which too is a bondholder. In addition, when Burnley.co.uk met with bondholder Lisa Sourbutts from Cube HR, who have the office above, Lisa spoke to me about what her business does, and we’ve subsequently struck a deal with them.”

It’s great news that businesses in Burnley are working together, creating more opportunities within our borough.

CASE STUDY – Toby Cooke, 19yrs old, studying Computer Science with Software Development at The University of Liverpool

How did you hear about the role?

I first heard about Alcidion when Burnley.co.uk released an article publicising the move of a global smart healthcare technology business, choosing Burnley, in an office around the corner from where I live, as their new UK base!

Lynette Ousby, the UK managing director, spoke of her passion for bringing young talent from within Burnley into the global healthcare industry, promoting the recruitment of computer science graduates and students. I saw this as an incredible opportunity to gain vital industry experience, whilst studying for my degree, and applied that day!

What are you studying?

I am currently studying for a degree in Computer Science with Software Development at the University of Liverpool. In order to gain invaluable industry experience, and apply the knowledge I have gained to date, I have taken an academic year out of my studies following completion of my second year. I will return to university to continue my final year studies after my 12 months with Alcidion come to an end. My passion for both people and technology makes my role as a Service Desk Analyst perfect for my skillset. I hope very much to return to Alcidion following completion of my degree.

Why Alcidion?

Alcidion is a leading business within the healthcare technology industry, delivering a smarter and safer future of care within healthcare organisations worldwide, or as I viewed it, not your standard 9-5 office job! Providing the opportunity to come out of work every day knowing the work you’ve completed has made a difference to over 57,000 patients using Alcidion’s technology, I knew Alcidion was the perfect placement for my year in industry. Alcidion take a rounded view on recruitment and hire people with the right attitude. They don’t focus purely on grades and accolades.

Do you enjoy your job?

Yes! Not only because of the innovative work Alcidion do, but their passion for people makes working with the team a pleasure. The team is more like a family. The camaraderie and support they provide is second to none, and every working day is enjoyable.

The Burnley office is a fantastic place to work, the energy in the room is always high and everyone always has a smile on their face. The team here are also big on post-work activities, whether it’s football group chats or pub meetups, the staff go out of their way to be more like friends than colleagues.

Our Teams meetings provide an opportunity to meet those colleagues working elsewhere in the country. There are so many reasons to enjoy working at Alcidion, as they nurture each individual’s journey.

Talking of journeys, I happen to love that my journey to work with an industry-leading company happens to take me just three minutes!

What are your aspirations for building a career in Burnley?

I love the fact that I will be able to return to my hometown following completion of my studies and put my Computer Science degree to good use. Burnley is at the forefront of the digital marketplace and is perfectly located to attract people with the digital skillset required in today’s workplace.

The standard of living in Burnley is excellent. I hope to buy my first home here knowing I’ll get a lot more for my money than I would in the city. The town has excellent leisure facilities, Crow Wood is one of them. I also enjoy and appreciate the surrounding countryside as I take our Cockapoo for daily walks. If I do fancy a night out, there’s loads of brilliant restaurants in the town. Meeting up with uni mates is easy too – thirty minutes on the train or bus and I can be in Manchester. What’s not to love about Burnley!

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The company, which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, already works with 34 NHS hospitals across the UK where it provides innovative technology for healthcare professionals. One recent success story is their work with NHS Fife, which resulted in a 76 per cent decline in cardiac arrests, an impressive statistic, and all with technology deployed from Burnley. As those of us who have ever been in hospital will know, typically, medical staff use bedside paper observations to monitor patients and any subsequent declines. But early warning scores are calculated manually, observations can be missed and sometimes, doctors are stretched and may not stick to a defined schedule to visit patients at their bedside. Alcidion’s electronic observation technology connects to the bedside device and if staff miss an observation, the software spots any deterioration and sends an alert, with staff using iPads instead of paper. We are pleased to hear that a global company has chosen Burnley for a UK base and that it’s committed to investing in our borough and we wish Toby and all of the new starters the best of luck with their new careers.