Hello everyone, my name is Julia Trowton I’m a Team Manager with the Community Health and Social Care Team based at Exmouth Hospital.
We work closely with both community social care needs and health colleagues providing urgent care and response in the community.
We also work with district nurses and social care reablement. Our client base is a mixture of older people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and everything in between. Any adults over the age of 18, but we also deal with some PFA cases which is Preparing for Adulthood. So those people who are currently with children’s services who might be having social care needs under adult social care when they turn 18, we pick those up as well.
When did you start at Devon County Council?
So, I started working for Devon County Council in 2019, in the February, it was very cold, and I relocated here.
What made you choose to work for Devon County Council?
I look at the opportunities offered by Devon County Council and not just by the job itself but by the location of where I’d be living.
I watched the testimonials that were on the website, and this really supported my decision to apply for the role I’m currently in.
Did you relocate to Devon to start this role?
So, yes, I relocated from Warwickshire. I already lived in a beautiful part of the world, but I felt that I wanted a new challenge in my life.
My new colleagues were so supportive, and I had lots of invites to social events which really helped me. And I was quite excited about living in this new place with a beach and everything that has to offer. It was definitely the right decision to move.
Did you have the support of a relocation buddy?
So, when I moved down here there was no such thing as a relocation buddy. Through talking about my experience and the experience of other people who relocated here, the buddy system was put in place. I quickly signed up to be a buddy for anyone relocating here because I found that it was really vital.
I was lucky, in a sense, that I knew this area because I’d holidayed here a lot. But I’m aware that lots of people move here and don’t know the area and don’t know the towns and the roads and the streets. Just having someone tell you where the best takeaway is and where you might want to find the best gym. All of those little things you don’t think about, a buddy can help you overcome those little issues and home sickness. I signed up straight away to the buddy system and I’ve supported people who have relocated here.
What benefit do you enjoy?
The number one thing is that the pension scheme is always the best scheme. I also have the benefit of flexible working. I’m somebody with a disability and that really suits my lifestyle. I find that I have a much better work life balance here in Devon.
Emotional wellbeing is really taken seriously here, and I’ve never experienced that before. Having a County Council, and a local authority, that takes our emotional wellbeing as seriously as Devon do makes me feel very proud to work for DCC.
What do you enjoy about living and working in Devon?
Devon is such a great place. We’ve got two moors, endless coastal walks, the brilliant Jurassic coastline, fabulous countryside, my life is so different here. I get to paddleboard and kayak whenever I want to. I walk on the beach every day after work with my dogs. Very happy to have made the move.