ROLE AT ABBOTT   TYPICAL DAY     TASTE TESTING    TIME AT ABBOTT AND THE TEAM    IMPACT ON THE NHS    OUTSIDE OF WORK  

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE ROLE OF AN ACCOUNT MANAGER AT ABBOTT?

As an Account Manager, my job is to work in partnership with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and the NHS. We keep them updated on all of Abbott’s products and services, and support them to ensure they are able to choose the right product for the right patient at the right time. We also deliver training to identify patients who might be at risk of malnutrition and sarcopenia and we provide opportunities for focused CPD training.

I spend a lot of time organising the rollout of training for screening tools and nutritional pathways to help other HCPs understand first-line treatment plans. This enables dietitians to spend more time in their clinical role with their patients and less time running education sessions.

AND WHAT MIGHT A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

The area that I am responsible for is South Wales, so I work with HCPs in the region on a daily basis. I’m the first point of contact for dietitians, District nurses, clinical nurse specialists, and a variety of other roles, so a “typical” day is hard to define as I’ll be in a different place with different people every day – which is something I really enjoy about my role.

In the morning, I’ll tend to check my emails and catch up on any customer requests or internal updates from Abbott, before preparing for the day’s meetings. As well as checking I have everything needed for any presentations, I also often make up some recipe ideas incorporating our ONS for taste testing during the meeting. I’ll then pick up any literature and samples that may have been requested from my storage, collect the catering for the meeting and then head off – Account Managers tend to cover quite large areas so there’s typically a lot of driving involved. I try to plan my site visits based around wherever my lunch meeting is taking place that day, so I’m able to see as many different customers in the area as possible. That might vary from popping in to drop off a sample request to spending some time providing advice on Abbott products and resources to supporting customers to register to our new website, ProConnect. Many customers have known me for a very long time and it’s fantastic to always receive such a warm welcome and be appreciated as an integral extension of their team.

On other occasions, I might spend my afternoons doing non-promotional training sessions on our ANHI educational platform, before following up on any further emails that may have come in. It’s also a great opportunity to catch up with other members of my team, where we can talk about various things that we’ve been doing and help each other wherever we can.

YOU MENTIONED YOU DO TASTE TESTING WITH DIETITIANS, CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT THAT?

I think it’s really important for them to know how the products taste, and how adding them to different food and drink recipes can help to add variety. This makes it more interesting for a patient than simply drinking their supplement from the bottle every time. It gives the dietitians a much greater understanding of the treatment they’re offering their patients - so they might recommend a fruity jelly recipe, for example, having experienced it for themselves. It’s also helpful to educate HCPs on recipe options as these then get passed not only to patients but to family members who can then be more involved in the care routine.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH ABBOTT? CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR TEAM?

I’ve been with Abbott for 25 years now. I began in the pharmaceutical division for 10 years before moving into nutrition, where I’ve spent the last 15 and never looked back. I’ve been here for so long, in many respects, because of the people that work here. It’s a really friendly company to work for, everyone shares best practice and is always more than happy to help. The company has a real family feel about it.

In our local team there is a really supportive dynamic between us and we always take the time to have a chat most days – which is something everyone loves to do in Wales. My regional team is also close and has a great mix of experienced oldies like me and new young graduates brimming with new ways of thinking.

WHAT IMPACT DOES YOUR ROLE HAVE ON NHS ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR PATIENTS?

By taking a partnership approach with my dietitians, I’m able to alleviate some of their workload, which enables them to spend less time on admin and direct more time to their patients - which is the most important thing. I’ll organise training sessions where we can present information on the products and pathways that they need, and the fact that I have a relationship with so many HCPs means it’s much easier for me to gather everyone together so training sessions can be more collaborative and effective. I think also being a direct point of contact is hugely beneficial, as they know they can call me with any queries they might have and I can provide the answer or put them in contact with the most appropriate people in our nutritional support team.

From a patient perspective, I think the screening training is helping all kinds of HCPs to identify those at risk of malnutrition as early as possible – which makes a big impact on patient care. I’ve had feedback from patients, via my customers, who’ve expressed their thanks to Abbott as they’ve been strong enough to be able to do physical activities - like a trip to the park with their grandchild – which they haven’t been able to do in years, since being provided with Abbott nutritional support. It’s incredibly rewarding to know you’ve contributed to making a difference in someone’s life.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Where to start! My husband is a qualified personal trainer, so he keeps me very fit. I run 3-4 times a week, and do yoga, Pilates and circuit training. I also love cold water swimming so I push myself to get into the sea at least once a month – which is quite the challenge in Winter!

We have two daughters who love to travel, and my husband and I spend much of our time jetting all over the world to catch up with them wherever they may currently be. We’re also lucky to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, with breathtaking beaches which we love visiting in our campervan. We’re a very outdoorsy family, so if there’s a mountain - we’ll climb it, if there’s water - we’ll get in it, if there’s a beach - we’ll run across it.