Knowing I’m making a difference to someone’s life, that’s what gets me up in the morning. I adore all my customers I really do.
In 2017 I joined Bluebird Care as a care assistant, and I’ve never looked back since. Six months later I was promoted to Supervisor. I was a little hesitant at first, I’d never worked in an office before but the support I had was absolutely fantastic. A year or so later when I became Deputy Care Manager it seemed like a natural progression.
I have completed my level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care and I’m planning to do level 4. Eventually I’d like to become a manager. If care assistants want to progress, we start them on the right path and encourage them to get their qualifications. There are real opportunities with Bluebird Care.
I had my own business specialising in cake decorating before, but I wanted to do something new. I saw the advertisement and looked at the website and I could see that Bluebird Care had a passion for what they did.
My son was at primary school, and I liked the flexibility of the job. I was able to finish in time to pick him up and that made a huge difference.
I still provide care now, I like to stay hands on. I love helping and I still love the job satisfaction it gives me. I enjoy the people I meet. Everyone is different, no stories are the same, and no day is the same.
The customers are made up to see me which is really nice, and we have a good chat about their favourite care assistants and what they do for them. They are really happy with our care assistants because they go the extra mile. Even straightening a rug in the bathroom makes a world of difference to some of our customers.
Betty was elated and phoned to tell me that one of the care assistants straightened her shower curtain after personal care, it really made a difference to her because she used to do that before she was unable to do it for herself.
Another lady called to tell me that her cleaner had stopped coming through the pandemic. One of the care assistants noticed the floor was getting a little grubby so she spent an extra ten minutes at the end of the call to brush and mop it. It’s the little things our customers appreciate.
Ellen invited me to her 90th birthday party at a posh hotel and that was really special. It was an honour to make her birthday cake, and I decorated it with flowers.
I’m able to build a relationship with the families, not just the customers. They know the person they love is getting the best care. We really do care for our customers.
I truly believe that people live a better life in their own home. They want to be surrounded by family, friends and neighbours. It’s a great feeling to be able to give them that.
They need to feel secure, they want professionalism and respect. We are not there to take control; we are there to assist.
One lady is quite down, we talk to her and by the end of the call she’s laughing and joking. That’s why we do what we do, it makes a difference.
My husband has seen a big difference in me since I started working as a care assistant. I used to go home exhausted, and not very chatty, now I come home happy.
Bluebird Care are very supportive of the care assistants who work for them. I’ve worked in quite a few places, and I’ve never worked in a place that is as supportive as this. Bluebird Care feels like a family to me.
Nerys
Nerys
/
Wales
