Kevin Wainwright – Administrator/Bookkeeper

“I feel more confident because of work and I feel like I'm living a normal life”

Kevin Wainwright, has much to celebrate. In 2005, he received a new heart and pair of kidneys in a major double transplant operation. The operation was a success and gave Kevin a new lease of life in more ways than one. Until then, he'd spent over a decade unable to work because of his poor health. Kevin said: "I got used to doing the cleaning and cooking at home and taking my little girl to school, but I felt brain dead for many years."

Fit and ready

When in 2007 he felt ready and fit enough to go back to work Kevin, 46, sought help from Working Links. The agency works across the country with disabled people and people with health problems to help them get back to work. Staff at Working Links, helped Kevin improve his CV writing skills, his job searching techniques and also learn how to 'sell' himself to employers. Kevin used his networking skills to find a job and was eventually offered a post as an Administrator/Bookkeeper with letting agency Citylets in Liverpool. His main responsibilities include basic accounts, processing invoices and conducting audit trails. Kevin currently works part time hours but hopes to gradually build up to working full time hours.

Employer’s story

Manager and Accountant Paul Bullock interviewed Kevin for the post at Citylets but was looking for more than just a candidate who had the right skills. He explains: "Kevin didn't come with the exact skill base we required but he had the right attitude and we knew we could develop his skills." Kevin's enthusiasm and his aspirations for the future also impressed him. "The fact that he'd enrolled on a college course in accounting before he'd even applied for the job proved that he had a sense of commitment" says Paul. Paul knew about Kevin's health problems before the interview and it was discussed when they met during the interview but Paul did not believe it was a barrier to his being employed and no physical adjustments had to be made for Kevin at work.

Same level of productivity

Paul is keen to treat all his staff the same. He monitors Kevin's workload as he does for all of his staff and expects the same level of productivity from Kevin as he does from other employees. Paul says that Kevin is best qualified to talk about any impact his health may have on his work. He said: "Kevin wants to prove himself at work and as a consequence he is self-managing when it comes to any health issues."

Employee's story

Kevin is gradually getting back to living the life he had before he became ill. He particularly enjoys the mental stimulation of his job which he started in July 2007. Kevin is also developing new skills in public speaking as a result of his charity work. He is actively involved with 'New Start', a charity set up to fund transplants and to assist in funding the development of a transplant centre.

Kevin is studying hard on a three year Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) course and is looking forward to eventually qualifying as an Accountant. He said "After feeling brain dead for so long, I feel like I've woken up."

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