“I never thought I'd be doing this sort of work during my retirement”
Mina, who has been one of our Digital Critical Friends (DCFs) from our very beginning, reflects on the journey that brought her to working with us and what it’s like to be a DCF.
My work life began as a researcher at the University of Bristol in 1976. I started out doing some work on cystic fibrosis. Everything was done in research labs. I was there for just over 3 years, but then I stopped work for nearly 7 years, to raise my family.
With limited child care, I decided to change career and went into banking, working in various departments. I started off as an information officer in HR, where I did some programming, then moved to data warehousing, and then on to process design, projects and programmes.
So my experience in the bank was on the technical side, bringing vast amounts of data together. My work involved data quality, management information, mergers and acquisitions and of course security and how data was used – both of which were essential in banking.
I retired at 60 and thought I would do part time work. But my friend introduced me to being a public participant in medical research, starting with little projects.
I met Andy Gibson, the South West Secure Data Environment Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead, while working on a project about blood transfusion for patients with thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia.
During the pandemic, Andy mentioned OpenSAFELY and working with big data. I was naturally interested because of my professional background.
This started my journey to become a Digital Critical Friend (DCF). We had quite a few training sessions and I met some wonderful people who were so passionate about it.
I met my fellow DCFs Mary and Amanda whilst working with the OpenSAFELY team. When Andy mentioned the Great Western Secure Data Environment, it seemed like a natural progression.
Of course, the name changed from Great Western to the South West SDE. What a journey it has been.
I started working with Charlie, Henry, Katie, Andy Mayne, Andy Gibson, John and Nick. They were joined by others including Rachel, Amy, Chrissie, Zoe, Nina, Nikita, Harriet and more. So the SDE team has been growing and now we also have 11 more DCFs.
The way the DCFs work with the team has been quite an experience. We get invited to leadership and management meetings, and no question is considered stupid. Everyone works hard to make us feel comfortable when we attend. At every meeting, they specifically ask for our opinion.
We have had to learn quite a bit as the model for the South West SDE is very different from OpenSAFELY. Some of the stuff they talk about goes over my head, but when that happens they take time to explain.
This is the most transparent and open programme I’ve been involved in as a public contributor. As DCFs, we are listened to and our suggestions are respected and taken seriously. I feel privileged to be involved and feel that I’m making a difference.
Personally, my confidence has grown tremendously since I started working with the South West SDE team. I never thought I’d be doing this sort of work during my retirement.
The team members are all years younger than me, but I’m very chuffed to be working with young people who are so enthusiastic about what they’re doing. I see them working so hard to make a success of this programme.
Sometimes it can feel like young people don’t treat older people with the respect they deserve – they think they’re a bit slow at grasping things. But not in this group. In fact, I’ve had the opposite experience.
I always look forward to meetings. Doing this work keeps my mind active. And talking about my involvement with this programme is one of my favourite topics. My friends and family have all noticed the difference in me. Being part of this team is one of the best parts of my retirement as it gives a structure to my days.