Sonic’s global learning and development team visit the UK
We were delighted to welcome Dr Stephen Fairy, Sonic Healthcare’s global Chief Medical Officer, and Virginia Re, Head of Sonic Connect, to our labs in the UK and Ireland this June. Sonic Connect is the global learning and development arm of Sonic Healthcare – TDL and HSL’s parent company and international healthcare provider, headquartered in Sydney, Australia.
Stephen and Virginia made the trip as part of an international Sonic Connect tour. Over the course of their ten-day stay, the pair delivered tailored leadership development workshops for over 250 members of staff. In line with Sonic’s commitment to creating a global culture of medical leadership, the workshops focused on emotional intelligence, conflict management, high performing teams and situational leadership.
Everyone’s a medical leader
Importantly, these workshops were open to all. “At Sonic we believe that everyone is a medical leader, regardless of their position or job title,” says Stephen. “Medical leadership is a philosophy that puts patients and their wellbeing at the centre of everything we do. It’s not about status or qualifications; it’s about building the skills to become better communicators, influencers and change makers – in order to deliver the highest standards of care to our patients.”
Virginia says: “The workshops were an overwhelmingly positive experience for everyone involved. It was great to see so many people from different labs, roles and specialities get to know each other, work together and learn to become better leaders. Mixing people up like this enhances everyone’s personal development and will help to build a more open and collaborative culture across the organisation.”
Growth based on sound values
Stephen and Virginia’s visit culminated in an evening reception at the Royal College of Pathologists. To a packed audience of consultant pathologists and colleagues, Stephen outlined the core values that have been integral to Sonic’s success so far.
Over the past 32 years, Sonic has grown from a single practice in a suburb of Sydney to the third largest medical diagnostics company in the world. With 37,000 employees worldwide, Sonic provides vital pathology, imaging and primary care medical services to 120 million people each year.
“Sonic’s values reflect our commitment to service excellence and making patient care our number one priority,” says Stephen. “They reflect the principles of everyone who works with us, from couriers to scientists, and are as relevant today as they were at the turn of the millennium when they were first established.”
A respected worldwide partner
Sonic’s commitment to embedding a culture of medical leadership has helped it grow into a trusted and well-respected partner within the global healthcare market. “We make sure every Sonic lab commits to our foundation principles of personalised service, respect for people, company conscience, operational excellence and professional expertise, as well as retaining its own, local identity. We work very closely with pathologists and other members of the medical community to ensure our actions, behaviours and business decisions are always focused on supporting good medical practice. We recognise the vital role that pathologists play as innovators, educators and advocates for our industry, and value their input at every level of our organisation.”
Stephen and Virginia look forward to returning to the UK and continuing to train and develop leaders of future. “With so much transforming technology on the horizon, there’s never been a more exciting time to work in pathology. From AI and digital pathology to personalised medicine, being part of Sonic’s global network gives us the opportunity to be at the front and centre of some amazing developments happening in the industry – and foster a culture that supports a truly patient-centred approach.”