What do our Green Doctors find most rewarding about their jobs? Find out here!

Terence

There are a number organizations that we work with, one of these is called StepChange. So when we work with residents where there might be debt issues, we can actually signpost them to StepChange, who are a big organization, who can provide a range of support, because debt is really not a nice situation to be in, especially when more of people’s income each month are immediately going towards utility and energy bills, this can quickly lead to debt for some people, so we emphathise with residents who face these circumstances, and it can be very rewarding to help residents be able to see a way out of debt when they may not have done before.

Andy

That’s a good question. I think what’s most rewarding for me is when you’re able to empower residents to make their own decisions, to help them make a change that they need for themselves. In a couple of cases, there have been a few residents that have contacted us with financial issues and when you get further into the conversation you realise that they’ve not been in touch with their energy supplier, maybe they’ve not had access to the their online accounts, so they are totally oblivious to their to their bills and how much they are paying, or what their usage even is. So just going through that process, finding those account details, logging them on again so that they are up to date and they’re now more empowered in knowing what’s going on in terms of their costs and energy usage.

This also helps to be able to know what I can do to help, whether I need to ask for a social tariff or signpost towards more support with any debt that a resident might have found themselves. So being able to empower residents with more information and awareness, these are some of the most rewarding things I have done so far.

Christian

It’s definitely always a win if you can help someone save some money, whether that be through helping them switch to a different provider to lower monthly or weekly payments, or whether this is helping a resident to access the social water tariff to further lower utility bills, as they can save up to 50% on water bills a month with that. Even just helping resident to be able to recognise and modify their everyday behaviours, which can help save them money on their energy and water, I always consider that win, even more so when I have been able to leave a visit and potentially had an impact on the bigger picture for the resident, through an onward referral to other organisations that can make further changes within a persons property.

I have made referrals for some households to ECO4, and some of these have been successful in being able to introduce even bigger measures such as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and even solar panels in some cases. I have even heard from one of the residents that I visited recently who was able to get her bathroom windows refitted and draughtproofed on the back of the referral I made during my visit. So those things that I hear about from residents afterwards when we make further contact to check in,  that can really make you feel good about the role.

Terence

Another very rewarding thing I was able to be a part of, was supporting a resident who had  recently had their lower leg amputated, and who was now using a wheelchair. Since then, they have been having difficulties in now actually accessing and exiting their home because of the width of their pathway no longer being adequate for a wheelchair user, which even made it difficult to then access their vehicle as well. So when this resident contacted the Green Doctor service, during my visit, I was able to signpost and refer a resident to a charity in the region who were actually able to come along and do some work to widen the resident’s pathway to make this more accessible for them, which meant the resident could more comfortably access the outside world, enabling them to feel more independent, and this was fully funded, so there was no cost to the resident.

We are also a fully funded service, so our support comes with no charge to residents. This is a such a fulfilling part of the job, and it is a very fulfilling job that can have a big impact, when it can be the smallest steps we can take that can be life changing for residents, and that is Groundwork’s mantra Changing Places, Changing Lives.

Terence

Recently we have been recognised  for our work, when we received the Gold Award for the Community Business Regional Award for SMEs (Small and midsize enterprises). That was one of my highlights of being a Green Doctor, but as well as that, it is knowing that when we interact with residents, or anyone who may benefit from our help, that when we empathise with them, we can help bring about positive results through understanding what people are going through, and its not easy for many.

Some of our work is carried out through engaging with people using food banks and food hubs, so people who are in situations where they may really need guidance or more information. So one of the most rewarding things is just to get a positive result for everyone that we interact with, because as I said, Groundwork is about changing places and chaning lives, that’s our mantra, and I am fortunate and grateful to be a Green Doctor with Groundwork East.

Andy

When I think about being a Green Doctor, I think the best thing is being in a position to provide support for a large number of residents every day, as we have the potential to visit four or five different households. So each day, there’s an opportunity to help a number of different people. I also value the opportunity to learn as well, there are things that I didn’t realise, or that I realise I needed to learn more about through my work as a Green Doctor, and now that I’ve been exposed to it, and learnt more about it, I have this knowledge to apply going forward with supporting more people. I have learnt a lot more about homes in genera, just even how they’re built, and how we can keep them as energy efficient as we can. So yeah, I think the learning opportunities are some of the best things, but also the opportunity to use to help people further.