Kay Brookes our Regional Manager at Wellgate Care, was recently invited to Academy FM, Thanet’s leading community radio station, to tell listeners about the care sector and what it’s like to make care your career.
Click below to listen to Kay’s radio interview.
Q. What does a career in care mean?
A. There are many different facets to a role in care. At Wellgate Care we specialise in caring for with people with physical disabilities, those in residential homes and supported living but there are many other schemes in the care sector including extra care, domiciliary care, that’s people who go to people’s home. So there are lots of different ways you can work in the sector.
Q. What is it like to work with people with physical and learning disabilities?
A. We cater for all their needs so they have a safe environment where they can thrive and live their best lives. We take our clients shopping, cinema, bowling or out for lunch, we do all of that with them. Just because they have a physical or learning disability it doesn’t preclude them from having a social life and access to the community, so we think that’s really important to give them the best possible experience.
Q. Is it a rewarding sector to work in and are there any misconceptions of what it’s like?
A. People have very different ideas about what we actually do, and I think that sometimes puts people off from coming to work in the care sector because they don’t understand it. The team you have around you is hugely important. The work can be very demanding at the same time as being very rewarding and the people that you work with are the people who will keep you going. At Wellgate Care we promote a real team spirit and that culture of being there for each other, not only being person-centred to the people we are supporting but person centred with each other as well.
Q. What’s it been like for you personally?
A. For me it’s amazing, I would never change career. It’s really worthwhile. Sometimes the people we support will not be the happiest people, but it’s like all of us, we all have our moods but actually when you see a smile on your client’s face when you’ve made a difference it’s so rewarding and there’s not a feeling like it in the world.
Q. Can you have career progression?
Absolutely. We’ve had some of our team who have started in a junior role and have moved up the career ladder and have gained their NVQs and qualifications and are now team leaders and deputy managers. Of course that’s not for everyone so if you start as a carer or support worker and that’s where you are comfortable, and it fits in with your family life and other commitments and it’s where you would like to stay that’s fine. The role is whatever you want from it and speaking from my experience if you’d like to progress, we can support you and mentor you but if you are happy in your comfort zone, we will support that as well.
