IWD2023: Meet Mandy Allen

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we’re celebrating and introducing key women here at Teladoc Health UK, without whom our virtual healthcare delivery wouldn’t be possible.

 #IWD2023 | Meet Mandy Allen, Account Manager at Teladoc Health

Tell us a bit about your professional life

I trained and qualified as a nurse in 1977 (not long after Florence Nightingale!) in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. After this, I spent eight years in the Army nursing the troops, with my last three years as a recruit instructor – teaching Drill, First Aid, Nuclear Biological & Chemical Warfare. Mt postings were London (Royal Herbert) Hong Kong, Swindon (tri-services hospital at Wroughton) Northern Ireland and back to Aldershot.

After leaving the Army I worked in Alders Portsmouth as a Welfare Officer, until joining my Husband in Saudi Arabia for three years. After returning home, I attended Portsmouth Polytechnic (now University) and qualified as a Community Care Tutor.

The bright lights of the pharmaceutical company soon beckoned and my next job was to sell generic medicines. I loved this position and quickly became a Marketing Manager for a new sunscreen from Australia.

This brings us up to 2006. A chance conversation with my next door neighbour gave me information of a new company that were looking for a nurse with sales and marketing experience. The company was called Best Doctors. I met with Dom Howard at Waterloo Station and we went for lunch, where Dom sold the service in a few minutes and I had already decided this was the job for me! I was so happy at being offered this position and have never looked back.

Why did you choose your specialty/job role?

From the age of 47 my father suffered coronary heart disease. He was forever being admitted to hospital either for a heart attack, angina or because his heart was going out of rhythm. Back then (in the olden days) family members had to “go away” until the patient was settled in the ward. On one such occasion my mother and I were sent off while my dad was being admitted. We went for a walk to the sea front at Southsea. On the way, we passed the Army Careers office and I decided to call in. Next thing you know I’m sitting the test to join up. The Sergeant came back and told me I could do, blah blah blah or nursing. And that was it. I decided to be a nurse and hopefully give back a little of the care my Dad had received. Six weeks later I was off to Aldershot to start a new life!

What’s the most interesting/memorable case you’ve been involved in your career?

There are far too many to choose one in particular. However, when I was in Saudi Arabia I worked in the Emergency Room and was part of the resus team. During one shift a gentleman came running into the ER shouting in Arabic and trying to pull me outside. I went with him, not knowing what I was going to be faced with, and it wasn’t what I was prepared for………….. His wife was giving birth on the back seat of their car. The head of the baby was already delivered, and despite having nothing with me (or knowing what to do!) I helped deliver the rather large baby boy. Well, I say delivered, it was the couples TENTH child, so I actually guided it out. Both the mum and baby were none the worse for the experience. I, however, never recovered! lol

What do you most enjoy about working for Teladoc Health?

Teladoc is an extension of the Best Doctors position I had, but with much more to it with the introduction of WeCare and myStrength.

We have a small team in Account Management that have built up a close relationship over the past years that we have worked together. I work with only certain clients and have known some for over 15 years. So, meeting new clients and members, or my old chums on a daily basis makes work a happy place to be. My first Christmas at Best Doctors had 12 employees at the “party”! We have grown, joined with other amazing companies and now are a force to be reckoned with.

Teladoc Health are held in high regard in the market place. Our company has intelligent, hard working and innovate people leading the way, building a confident and secure future for us all. We are all lucky to be part of this life changing service and for what’s to come.

In light of International Women’s Day 2023, how do you think that female patients in particular can benefit from the Expert Medical Opinion service?

Because we offer such an amazing choice of medical experts across the world, I think that our female patients can take advantage of this and make good use of the service for conditions such as Endometriosis. Over 1.5 million women endure this awful condition and it effects lives in a way that most of us couldn’t imagine. In fact, there are a lot of Gynae conditions that are either not spoken about or are ignored as being insignificant or “run of the mill” by some medical professionals. Another condition is Polycystic Ovaries, 1 in 10 women suffer from this, but the treatment can be hit and miss.

I would love to see women accessing our EMO to check their diagnosis is correct and the treatment plan most appropriate. We know medical treatments are changing weekly, and not all GPs keep up to date, so let’s get those ladies pain free and offer some alternative treatments.

Are you involved in any other organisations or charity work?

Some weekends I work at the vaccination clinic in Havant where they have a walk in clinic for COVID and Flu jabs. This is probably one day a month, but was most weekends during COVID. I also belong to the Bedhampton Volunteers. This is a group of people that plant bulbs in the village where we live to make the place look prettier. I also letter drop and collect the funds for this group annually from the area where I live.

What is the professional achievement you’re most proud of?

I think qualifying as a nurse. This set me off on a pathway that was to change my life completely. I have always had jobs that I love and people that have been friends that have lasted a lifetime, some over 48 years, because of it.

Tell us about yourself

As you know, I joined the Army in 1975. I met and married my Husband, Marcus (a Paramedic, as in a Paratrooper and a Medic) in 1980. We have two children – aged 37 & 34. Our son Marc is a Paramedic with Paramount Pictures. He’s a set medic, in Jamaica at the moment while they film a remake of the Bob Marley story. Tara is a Psychotherapist in the NHS living in Brighton with her partner.

I love to spend my downtime in the garden. Sneaking in plants from the garden centre without Marcus knowing as “we have too many already”! I have two feeding stations a three houses for hedgehogs. The visitors have just started to come out of hibernation so its action stations again with the cameras. I get the memory cards early in the morning to check what they have been up to the previous night.

Marcus and I love to travel, we have been to many countries over the years, but of course, this has been somewhat curtailed because of COVID. I am also due to get a new knee in a few weeks, so we are hopeful to have a break later this year.