A day in the life of Chris Canning

Chris has been appointed finance and administration officer with Positive People, a new specialist social care and nursing recruitment agency aimed at placing highly trained staff in a full range of health and social care posts.

The agency supports Positive Futures, a charity set up in 1995 to support people with a learning disability, acquired brain injury or autistic spectrum condition. They aim to achieve dreams and transform lives.

The company has created two permanent posts within the new recruitment agency and 17 full-time equivalent posts, including support workers, nurses and allied health professionals. 

Chris, who is also a property investor and keen supporter of Craigavon based charity, Fields of Life, is 36 and is married to Emma and they have three young children. Lily Jane, Charlie and Toby.

I get up at 7am and help get the children dressed, fed and ready for the day ahead. Logistically the mornings vary with school/nursery runs before I make the journey to Belfast.

When I arrive at the office I first read and respond to all my e-mails, liaise with members and make that all important cup of coffee!

My role includes keeping staff records updated, arranging interviews, organising payroll as well as dealing with all financial aspects of the business.

As the agency has only been set up it is still early days and I have regular meetings with the Agency Manager Laura Lavery to discuss how we are going to drive the business forward. Laura herself has more than 30 years’ nursing experience having worked as a midwife, an occupational health nurse, district nurse as well as a palliative care nurse with Macmillan Cancer Support. She has also managed a recruitment agency for six years.

We have extremely highly qualified people on our books and we provide temporary staff to a huge range of health care providers and individuals. In addition, we assist with finding the best staff for permanent posts,

Each agency worker is assessed by an experienced nurse who will assess their education, experience, training and attitudes before placing them in a job.

I am enjoying my new role as it is very challenging being involved with a newly incorporated company. There is still a lot to learn but I am passionate about ‘Positive People’ and I know it will be a success.