As part of the Change Makers effort, Mortgage Solutions is speaking with individuals in the market who have actually made a genuine distinction. In our inaugural interview, we talk with Foundation Home Loans’ Sarah Hartwell about her IVF journey, her promoting of psychological health concerns and her pride at being called a Change Maker.
Sarah Hartwell had constantly desired a family. However, when she was informed she was not able to develop naturally, she and her partner Stuart took the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) path.
Despite spending £25,000, taking a trip to Spain and having numerous grueling rounds of treatment, the couple were not able to have a child. Her challenging journey resulted in bouts of trauma (PTSD) and psychological health concerns, yet there was a happy ending.
She and Stuart eventually embraced a child woman Merci, who is now ten years old, and her battle offered her the decision not just to continue creating an effective profession in the home loan market however likewise, as a Change Maker, to help others who had actually been impacted by comparable circumstances.
Tell us about your journey and how it led you to wish to alter the method IVF is seen in the market.
My partner and I were pursuing a family however absolutely nothing took place. I had thyroid concerns, so we went to the medical professional and I was referred quickly. I chose my very first IVF and it didn’t work, so the medical professional suggested the donor path. I concurred.
I went to Barcelona for treatment due to the fact that, in the UK, treatment is not confidential. If you have donor IVF, it needs to go on a register and the child can discover their mom or the mom can discover them – a bit like adoption.
We had 6 months of treatment and, in the end, it didn’t work. The procedure took whatever out of me …and after that I had PTSD.
That was back in 2013. I pulled through and decreased the adoption path. And now we have a charming 10-year-old child.
In 2022, I did an interview in The Times and I believe this raised awareness of the problem; this is where the Change Maker election originated from.
Through the entire IVF journey, I had no counselling as none was available in the work environment to help individuals who are going through donor IVF.
Do you feel the market is taking the problem of IVF and concerns that females deal with more seriously?
I believe they are however there’s a long method to go, however I believe that’s regular; it’s a huge problem. Some business are doing fantastic work. Co-op, for instance, revealed they’d provided 60,000 team member time off for IVF – males and females.
I have actually consequently dealt with a remarkable marketing group called Fertility Matters at Work, to campaign for counselling in the work environment to help individuals who are going through donor IVF.
It’s crucial to comprehend that males are going through this too. It’s not physical, but they want to go to appointments, the males have to have time off to have tests.
This is what I learned about menopause as well, when I went to the Diversity and Inclusivity Finance Forum (DIFF) talk on menopause.
There was a mixed room and a lot of the men took this very seriously. Because they have wives and partners going through this. They say deaths and taxes are going to happen to everyone however for women, you can add menopause.
How can people be better supported?
With IVF, it’s very different from trying for a child naturally. When you have IVF, you know how many chances you have.
And from my perspective, after the times we tried, I eventually had to stop because of my mental health.
You can’t tell a company to give everyone time off for fertility problems, because it will cost a lot of money. The process needs to start slowly; for example, , we trained up 10 mental health first aiders (MHFA) where I was working at the time.
Foundation Home Loans also has a Mental Health First Aider, as well as mental health support via an employee assistance programme (EAP) service within the core benefits package.
When I was going through my struggles, all I wanted to do was talk to people who had similar issues and had come out the other side.
How is mental health treated in the industry?
I think it’s being talked about more. LinkedIn has helped here. There are quite a few people who have been talking about taking their lives and I think there was a strapline that said ‘it’s okay to not be okay’, and that was the only reason that I spoke openly.
It’s not just an issue in the mortgage industry. It’s universal and I think it’s going to get worse. Mental health issues were already prevalent, then you add in the pandemic, and it’s those younger people, who may be in school now, who are going to come in our industry. Many of them will have struggled for years in senior school.
What more needs to be done?
Work culture is key and that is set at the top. When I started at Foundation, it was clear they cared about their employees.
In addition, having mental health first aiders is imperative. They keep a temperature check of what is going on.
It’s more difficult now because you have more people working from home. It’s easier to hide. If you’re in an office setting, you can notice changes in people.
Look at both menopause and mental health issues, and the figures are rising for people either leaving or being out long term. Women are leaving good jobs due to menopause because they can’t take time out.
I think change is going to be slow. We’ve had to deal with the pandemic and changes to the way people work, although companies I’ve worked for have embraced it. They’ve all had equality, diversity and inclusion protocols in place which they’ve introduced that to the staff.
How do you think we can affect change overall in the industry?
If I was in charge, I would like everyone working on the same agenda. So, if you go to work in any company, issues are embraced in the same way.
Working together and looking to outside agencies like Fertility Matters is also extremely valuable.
Companies need to work out what their priorities are. If people feel looked after in a good culture, you will retain staff. In theory, that will save a company money.
What does it feel like to be nominated as a Mortgage Solutions Change Maker?
It really feels amazing. I think the concept is excellent. The Change Makers that were nominated – I felt honoured to be among them because mine was from my personal experience.
When I was nominated, I was so proud of myself and of all the other people. I am a person that wants to help, and I’ve had some very special people that have helped me and I wish to give something back.
I’ve been in financial services for 22 years and I’m proud that I’ve gone through my issues, that I am still here, that I was nominated as a Change Maker and that I can help individuals.
