UNLESS the rain is lashing down, Alison Keefe, Southend Hospital’s sexual health clinic manager, has a two-mile cycle ride into work, which gives a gentle transition between home and “the office”.

After that first coffee and a check of her emails and appointments, she pitches straight into the morning walk-in clinic, part of the job she enjoys the most.

Alison said: “I find it rewarding putting anxious patients at their ease.

“They usually think we are going to be judgmental and are so relieved when they find us so friendly and say they will tell their friends to come to us.

“It is a very important part of the job satisfaction to know you have touched someone’s life and made such a difference.”

Alison and her staff have no idea who will be present at the walk-in clinics – it could be someone who just needs a quick, reassuring check, which will take onlyminutes, the victim of a sexual assault or a distressed, jilted partner whose other half has been unfaithful.

Alison said: “We don’t just care for their physical wellbeing, but also help them with the emotional side. They find we are someone they can approach no matter what the outcome of their visit.”

Alison’s afternoon is taken up with admin, including appraisals of her 18 staff.

She said: “I enjoy the face-toface chats, asking them about their professional development, as it might be one of the few chances we have to talk on a oneto- one basis.”

Then there is the more strategic side – moving the service forward to meet the growing demand.

The service has just taken delivery of a new computer to make it completely paperless and Alison has found it exciting to watch the project go from business plan to full implementation without too many hiccups.

Back home at the end of the day, she might write some articles for professional journals – she has seen many published – or relax by sewing, reading, walking or, sailing.

Contact the clinic by calling 01702 385120, if you are male, or 01702 385121 if you are female.