Senior Policy Advisor DHSC
Oliver, former student of Tenbury High Ormiston Academy, is a senior policy advisor working for the Department of Health and Social Care.
Summary
- The Department for Health and Social Care support ministers in leading the nation’s health and social care to help people live more independent, healthier lives for longer.
- Oliver has been a civil servant since 2018 when he finished his history degree at University College London.
- Oliver loved history at school, and completed a part time Master’s degree in Medieval History at University College London.
Sectors
After completing his Master’s degree Oliver was accepted onto the Civil Service fast stream, the graduate scheme for Government.
The fast stream was a great experience and allowed Oliver to learn a lot about himself. The scheme rotates around different Government departments, over three years.
Joining in 2018 was an interesting time to enter Government. Oliver’s first role was in the Ministry of Defence, working on ‘Brexit,’ trying to understand the impact of a ‘no deal’ Brexit on the supply chain for defence equipment, from uniforms to fighter jets.
Oliver then worked in the Ministry of Justice`, on family justice, specifically policy work, understanding the impact of domestic abuse on family court settings. This was incredibly rewarding. Oliver got to see the real-life effects of these issues play out in court. This impressed upon Oliver how important it is to make changes. Oliver helped to draft a piece of legislation that went through Parliament.
Oliver’s final role on the scheme was back to Brexit, but in Health. This was a challenging role as the HSC was in full Covid-19 response mode.
Oliver finished the scheme in March 2021 and has stayed within Health. Health is a crucial policy area, and Oliver has been working on the Covid-19 enquiry.
When Oliver left school, he was interested in becoming a barrister, however, when he got to university he lost interest in this career idea. At school Oliver participated in a lot of citizenship activities, and these encouraged critical thinking skills that he uses in his job. The skills of sifting through information, making coherent arguments with a strong evidence base and clear communication are all skills he relies on in his job.
Oliver relied on advice from teachers and other role models in his life. He attended many open evening and information events and his advice to students is to do this, and to keep up to date with current affairs.
The Civil Service offers lots of schemes, such as internships and shadowing schemes, leading to accelerated interviews.
Location
Senior Policy Advisor DHSC
After completing his Master’s degree Oliver was accepted onto the Civil Service fast stream, the graduate scheme for Government. The...