This article is sponsored by North Yorkshire County Council.
Some workers leave the care sector for jobs in retail, but Alex Slade has taken the opposite route and is riding high with a successful and satisfying career in North Yorkshire.
In addition to her work helping those who have been in hospital to live back in the community, Alex has a day each week studying for her Level Three qualification in Health and Social Care, which will help her career progress.
In the meantime, however, Alex, 29, enjoys her role with the County Council’s north Harrogate reablement team because of the positive impact she can have on people’s lives. She said:
“In this team you see people progress and sometimes they can go on to not need care.
“It is lovely to help people become independent again and I find it very rewarding.”
The job can involve, quite literally, getting people back on their feet after a fall, or learning to look after themselves again after a stay in hospital.
She had spent five years working as a one-to-one carer before moving to the re-ablement team, a switch which allowed her to get to know a wider spectrum of people.
It is a very different world from the early years of her career, working in a burger bar at 16 before moving on to shops.
Although Alex finds her main work rewarding, she has a broad sphere of responsibilities, including spending time as an Independence Co-ordinator, conducting assessments to work out the type of help – such as specialist equipment – clients may need.
She also acts as the team’s ‘champion’ for both medication and recycling – working with GPs and their patients to prevent unintended stockpiling of medicines, which could be harmful in some cases, while also encouraging people to recycle waste when her visits are taking place – helping them make a positive contribution to society despite the restrictions they may face.
Alex’s spread of responsibilities, coupled with working towards a higher qualification, reflect the career development encouraged by North Yorkshire’s senior staff. She said:
“My team manager always wants us to be our best-selves and encourages us to do more.”
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Are you a people-person who wants to change lives? This job is for you
This article is sponsored by Elizabeth Finn Homes.
The award-winning Hampden House care home in Harrogate, part of Elizabeth Finn Homes, is owned by the charity Turn2us and offers a home from home for its residents.
The dedicated staff team provide both nursing and personal care on a permanent or short-term basis, allowing residents to live the best life they can. There’s an emphasis on providing exceptional care for the individuals at the centre of their ethos.
There are openings for a variety of roles, within clinical teams, for nurses and carers, catering and housekeeping. If you’re looking for a new challenge that genuinely makes a difference to the lives of others, this is your opportunity – even if you’ve never worked in care, full training will be provided.
If you’re a people-person, a good team player, and want a job that’s more than just a job, read on to find out how you’ll be supported in your new career.
A typical day
At Hampden House, the dignity and independence of the residents is at the fore, so you’ll put them first in everything you do.
You’ll assist personal care residents with getting up and dressed, choosing from the lunch menu, and getting to know them as an individual.
For residents requiring nursing care, you may be helping with their daily nutrition and hydration requirements. There’s also a team of qualified nurses on hand to offer dedicated medical care to the residents 24 hours a day.
Training and support
If you’re new to care, you’ll be given full training and support to work towards your NVQ level 2 in care.
You’ll be provided with online training to prepare you for your new career as a carer, including infection control, manual handling, and dignity in care.
Once you get onto the floor of the care home, you’ll be given a buddy. You’ll shadow them for at least two weeks whilst they explain all the processes and procedures, to make sure you’re fully confident on everything.
You’ll be partnered with your buddy for three to six months, to make sure you have a single point of contact if any questions arise, and to help you feel more confident in your new role.
‘A company I like to work for’
Marlon Agero has worked in the care industry for 20 years, and is now the clinical care manager at Hampden House.
“I’ve worked for big companies, small companies, in care homes and elsewhere. I can tell you honestly, Elizabeth Finn is a company I like to work for. We’ve had care workers that have been here a long time, and Hampden House really is like a family.
“The management is approachable; they make things easy for you. In other companies I’ve worked for, it’s not so easy to approach someone with a problem or find the support you need.
“We get paid breaks, sick pay and a great pension scheme – which hasn’t always been the case in other care settings I’ve worked in.”
To become one of the team at Hampden House, visit efhl.co.uk/work-with-us or call Jane Hooren – General Manager on 01423 566 964.
Join Team North Yorkshire – become a care professional and make a differenceThis article is sponsored by North Yorkshire County Council.
People of all ages and all backgrounds work as care professionals in North Yorkshire – so come and join the team and make a difference to people’s lives.
That’s the message this week as the county’s social care leaders send out an appeal for people to join a profession which offers a rewarding lifetime career.
All sorts of people across the county have made this life-changing step into the care profession, from builders and retail workers to accountants, young graduates and parents wanting flexible but rewarding work.
Flavia Nyambira, a North Yorkshire care and support worker said:
“Being a care professional is something I am so proud of. Every day in the job is different and at the end of every day I always feel I have made a difference.”
Flavia has worked for the last four years helping people who have come out of hospital or experienced a physical or mental difficulty, to get back on their own feet in their own home.
She came into the care profession after 11 years working in the British Army as a postal and courier service operator in Germany. When Flavia was posted back to North Yorkshire with her soldier husband and their three children, she started to look for work that she could fit around her family.
She added:
“I absolutely loved being a care worker from day one and in this job I am supported and given every opportunity to do the work to the best of my ability.”
Flavia was taken on under the County Council’s apprenticeship scheme and is currently working to complete her NVQ level 3, which will give her the qualification to become a team leader.
“I don’t just have a job, I have a career and I am learning while I am working.”
Flavia is given one day a week to complete her studies and is considering going on to become a social worker in the long term.
She said:
“I thought about going to university to study to be a social worker but I didn’t want to come out with a debt. With this job, I could apply to be supported to gain my social work qualification.
“The rewards of being in the care profession are huge. I support people with care and encouragement and the right equipment to regain confidence to do things for themselves again. It’s so great to see the look of happiness on their faces when they can get back their independence.
“Everybody we care for has a story to tell and it’s good to be a listening ear when they are going through a difficult situation.
“I support people of all ages. You always have that satisfaction knowing every day that you have done something worthwhile for somebody.”
Across the county, North Yorkshire has 20,000 people working in the care sector, from the 13,000 care and support workers in 500 organisations providing services in residential care and people’s homes through to social workers, project managers and administrators. On any given day, there are at least 1,000 jobs available across the county.