Day in the life – Gareth Hughes

Gareth Hughes has worked at Clinisys for 24 years. We asked him about his career, why he still loves supporting customers and colleagues, and what’s happening in his current role as Head of Republic and Northern Ireland Support and the Exemplar Programme. Keep reading to find out more about Gareth and how he has seen Clinisys grow by exemplifying its values of support, teamwork, and serving customers.

How did you get your first job at Clinisys?

We have to go back 24 years. I was working at Aintree University Hospital in a pathology IT role, and I applied for a service desk role that was advertised. I’d found myself working in the NHS almost by accident. I did a sports science degree and wanted to work in sports science, but back then it was a new sector and there weren’t a lot of jobs. A research job came up in the labs, so I took it and then stayed on – but the Clinisys role looked more interesting and gave me the chance to move to London (although I came back later for family reasons).  

What have you enjoyed about Clinisys and its culture?

I’ve always been on the support side. In the early days, I supported the customer via the service desk and then later worked onsite, which included supporting the customers issues and delivering projects. At the start, my job was all about what I could do for the customer, personally. Now we are so much bigger, it is about making sure we all give our best to the customer. Also, I want to make sure we deliver for the customer and to maintain Clinisys’ reputation for doing that.    

What is your role on the Exemplar Programme?

I started working on the Exemplar Programme in May 2020. The four LIMS exemplars in the programme are networks that show the benefits of deploying Clinisys technology at scale. My job is to get our customers to where they need to be. What I love about it is building that relationship and getting them to the point where we work in partnership.

Why is Northern Ireland so exciting?

Northern Ireland is important for Clinisys. The country is working on a huge pathology transformation programme and to support it we are going to implement WinPath at all five health and social care trusts, while delivering the first deployment of GLIMS Genomics in the UK. The first go-lives were at the start of the year, so they are still in project mode. But once they are fully deployed, they will become an exemplar, so we want to build relationships now, so we can provide the right follow-up support.

What is the challenge in the Republic of Ireland?

The Republic of Ireland is different. There are lots of small laboratories that are quite isolated, so, there is a great opportunity to help them modernise. Some labs don’t have a laboratory information management system. Others have a legacy system. So, I’m excited  to show them the benefits of adopting a modern LIMS and how Clinisys can support them better than anyone else.

My new job role allows me to work more closely with our customers in Ireland, which means that I can better understand and address the challenges they currently face. I’m sure that this insight will improve the overall support we can provide.

How do you support your colleagues at Clinisys?

The exemplars are big, complex deployments. But I’m a bit of a magpie! I like taking on shiny new things, to test myself and, of course, to help the customer. I also like working with other departments across Clinisys. As part of the Exemplar Programme, I am the escalation point for anything in Clinisys – sales or finance or anything. Having been at Clinisys for  a long time, I often get questions from other business areas. If I can help, I will. It’s that support gene! I like to see people develop and grow, while helping to move the business along.

How do you think Clinisys’ values have supported its success?

I really hope that I exemplify the values of Clinisys: the team building, the supportive ethos, the determination to do the best for our customers. When I joined Clinisys, or one of the businesses that became Clinisys, it was based in a small building in Egham, in an industrial estate that used to flood whenever the river got high. Now, it is an advanced IT business with a global footprint – but it’s those values that got us there.