HCA matron Diarmuid: ‘Don’t change for anyone and come to work as who you are’

myGwork sat down to talk to Diarmuid Bennett, oncology and cardiac matron at HCA Healthcare UK (HCA UK) about moving to London, pursuing personal development through his work, and the importance of diversity and inclusion.  

“It was never a taboo subject at home,” recalls Diarmuid Bennett, oncology matron at HCA UK. “I had an uncle who was gay and I’m sure his experience was very different to mine. But my family were very liberal and receptive to the possibility that people could be gay.” When Diarmuid came out to his mother, she cried when he told her. He thought he had misjudged how she would react, but she was crying that it had taken him that long to tell her.  

Diarmuid’s story begins in Ireland in a small town at a time when being LGBTQ+ was not necessarily as visible or accepted as it is now. He recognises he was fortunate to have such supportive parents. “I made a lot of other friends [at university] who were gay and when they came to mine, they would be quite surprised at how supportive my parents were.”

“London just felt right for me”

In 2008, Diarmuid graduated into the medical sector at the height of the crash in Ireland, at a time when work in the sector was borderline embargoed. The solution seemed obvious for him and so many others – emigrate. “Many went to Australia, Canada, the Middle East. London just felt right for me though and so it was the natural step.” 

“There was an international nurse’s recruitment fair in Dublin, recruiting nurses from Ireland to work across the globe. I was drawn to HCA UK because I wanted to work in London and because, simply put, I was blown away by the way they had digitised their systems. It was modern, it was diverse, and it was where I wanted to be.”

“It was important for me to go out and meet people”

He took a job in oncology at HCA UK on Harley Street and got stuck into his work. At the same time, he immersed himself in London culture and the diversity that existed in the city: “It was important for me to go out, meet people, go to gay clubs, bars, sports teams and travel.”

Diversity in the city has been a large part of the draw for Diarmuid. “London is a city that so many people pass through, and there’s so many different groups and cultures and diverse backgrounds. I think it’s important that we showcase them and respect them. When people are respectful of our differences, it’s much easier to live in harmony.”

“We brought people from across the business together to look at what we could do to make the business more open”

The value in diversity is key in his work at HCA UK also – Diarmuid was one of the founding members of the diversity and inclusion committee at the company, which provided a forum for people of all backgrounds to contribute and provide input on the company’s drive for inclusion at work. Eventually an LGBTQ+ committee was founded, which is now led by one of the chief human resources officers. “We brought people from across the business together to look at what we could do to make the business more open and mindful of LGBTQ+ people.”

Part of the work of the committee includes marking Pride Month, which last year involved flying Pride flags at HCA UK hospitals, outside and in. In the run-up to London Pride, everything from hallways to menus were celebrating Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community. “This year, in addition to London Bridge Hospital, we also illuminated The Harley Street Clinic in rainbow colours, which was brilliant. It’s in quite an iconic spot on Harley Street, where two streets meet each other, and it was incredible to walk past it and look up at it – it stands out like a burning beacon.”

“This is where I want to be”

As he reached his late 20s, Diarmuid realised that it was time to develop his career and his professional skills, which HCA UK was all too ready to support with. “I sat down with one of my managers at the time and said this is where I am, this is where I want to be, getting up to management level. She responded by telling me what I needed to do and helped put a career plan in place for me.”

Diarmuid was encouraged to study an MBA, which the company agreed to pay for, and gave him the support and time to focus on his studies. “When I got to a point where I was ready to step into senior management roles, I did some analysis around what skills were needed. While a lot of them could be learnt by doing the job, I realised I needed to do a course. My boss suggested I do an MBA.” Originally, he thought it was just something that business and finance people did, but his boss explained to Diarmuid that wasn’t the case – he had many skills that would be transferrable, and he would be able to take a lot from it.  

“She helped me with the application process, and then supported me over two and a half years to complete my MBA, giving me allocated study time. The company were really invested in developing me.”

“Come to work as who you are”

Now Diarmuid is the oncology and cardiac matron at HCAUK, balancing the demands of the job against the exciting and diverse experiences afforded to him in London. His advice for others wanting to follow in his footsteps? “Don’t change for anyone and come to work as who you are. If someone comes to work comfortable being themselves, and happy, they tend to give the best of themselves to the job role.”  

HCA Healthcare UK is a proud partner of myGwork, the LGBTQ+ Business Community. Find out more about their current job opportunities.