Supporting Elvis to rebuild his life

Supporting Elvis To Rebuild His Life

Elvis Coward said a fond farewell to Lambeth PCT after working on a three-month voluntary placement that moved him closer to his objective of rebuilding his life.

Life for Elvis took an unexpected and unwelcome turn for the worse when he visited his doctor in June 1998, believing he was suffering from a particularly bad bout of flu.

Already seriously ill, he was diagnosed with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain and central nervous system caused by viral and bacterial infections. He later suffered a minor stroke and was in a coma for four weeks. Now, after intensive medical care over a number of years, he’s on his way to a full recovery.

Elvis started an NVQ in Business Administration with us last year. As part of the course students complete at least a three week work placement, which he did at Lambeth PCT.

The HR and corporate affairs director, Una Dalton, was delighted with the work that he did.

“Elvis worked with us from July to October 2007 and quickly became one of the team,” she says.

“He worked across the PCT and I know the managers he worked for were equally pleased with the work he did for them – he completed every job with accuracy and enthusiasm.”

Elvis now plans do another placement with another voluntary placement, finish his course and then look for paid employment. He found his time at Lambeth PCT an extremely valuable experience.

“I learnt how to use the fax machine and the different photocopiers. I enjoyed going to meetings where I could see and hear how decisions were made behind the scenes. I was a driving instructor before I became ill and hadn’t worked in an office environment before. Working here has been really good for rebuilding my confidence.”

We at SHARE are thrilled that Elvis enjoyed his time at Lambeth PCT and we look forward to more of our students working with them again in the future.