Have you ever considered a career in care?

May 16, 2024| News + Events, Past Issues

Julie, a recent recruit who joined Home Counties Carers last summer.

The shortage of care workers across the UK is well documented and with an ageing population, the demand for carers is on the increase.

There are currently a staggering 152,000 vacancies in the care sector so at Home Counties Carers we are not alone in looking for the right recruits with the right values.

Julie is a recent recruit who joined Home Counties Carers last summer, having previously worked in hospitality for many years. It was great to catch up with her and to find out how she is getting on in her new job and also to discover if the move to ‘care’ was a good move for her. Julie was beaming all over her face when we met, and she was delighted to be given this opportunity to share her personal experiences with me.

She has lived locally for many years and loves that she can work at the heart of a community that she truly loves. “It was a big decision for me to make a complete change of direction work wise, but I am so glad that I did, and that I found my way to Home Counties Carers.”

In fact, Julie absolutely loves her new job. She said, “It is so satisfying to genuinely make a difference to our client’s lives. I feel very honoured to be invited into people’s homes to help them to continue to live independently. One visit may be for a coffee and a chat, the next, a client might need a bit of shopping done, and of course, for others they might need more personal care, but no two days, or clients, are the same. It’s never dull and I never grow tired of being so appreciated, it’s lovely. The training I have received means I am confident in my job, but if I do need any help or advice, there is always great support available.

“This job also works well with my family. To a certain degree I can manage my own time, obviously I always arrive at appointments on time. I never forget that, for this client I might be their only human contact that day, and if I say I’m arriving at 10am, that’s what I do. But, if I need to go to the dentist or to an appointment with one of my sons, and I ask our care coordinator in advance, she will make my rota work around my family needs.

“It is so satisfying to genuinely make a difference to our client’s lives. I feel very honoured to be invited into people’s homes to help them to continue to live independently.”

“A big surprise to me has been that most days I don’t feel like I am at work, as I said earlier, I get a real boost from making a difference in people’s lives. I’m proud to wear my green uniform in the village too! It’s a great company to work for. I am part of a very supportive team; I never feel alone and as I said I just love that I feel appreciated every day. Honestly, if you are fed up with your current job, I highly recommend that you give this a go – you might be surprised and find that caring for others brings so many rewards.”

Thank you so much Julie we are delighted you found us too!

Ros Redfern, Recruitment Manager at Home Counties Carers.