Continuing a fantastic career in care – Naomi’s story

We would like to introduce you to Naomi, home care professional for Radfield Home Care Shrewsbury and Oswestry.

Tell us about your previous care work/career background.

I joined Radfield having worked in the care sector as a care assistant ever since I left school. For the last 14 years I was a care professional supporting children in the NHS with special educational needs. It means I’m now very experienced in understanding the needs of a wide range of people and able to readily identify any extra support they may need – it’s fantastic for me personally to be able offer this to Radfield and our lovely clients.

I’ve brought with me a level 3 diploma in care and I’m used to dealing with things such as the provision of medication. In particular, I’ve had training in matters relating to eating (gastro) and also catheterisation. I also enjoyed working with a number of organisations ensuring they kept up to date with their training needs.

What has inspired you to want to be involved in the adult social care sector?

I genuinely love working within the care sector and I was really missing the hands on care element! I knew I didn’t want to work in a nursing home environment as I wouldn’t have time to really look after my clients, and so home care was the natural choice.

It just works really well as the role offers real flexibility meaning which is so important to me as I have children and have to consider child care – it works around my life. I enjoy it so much because at Radfield you really are given the time to spend with that one client, I’m not rushing and if they need something, e.g. a full body wash, I’ve normally got the time to do that. I know that sadly this isn’t always the case across other home care agencies.

Why Radfield Home Care Agency?

I had a good look for job opportunities on the internet and I’d seen a lot of positive reviews written about Radfield, it looked really friendly and welcoming. I had spoken to a few other home care providers but I really wasn’t keen on them.

My first contact with the office was with Mandy Donnelly, recruitment at Radfield Home Care Shrewsbury and Oswestry, and she was so understanding of what I was looking for. She explained about the flexibility of the role and that we could regularly review my situation. It’s so different from a contract where you are stuck, you have an opportunity to have conversations about increasing or decreasing your hours.

How did you get to hear about the job opportunity?

I didn’t actually see one advertised at the time and I just rang the office and I spoke to Mandy. Initially the interview happened back in March 2020 but due to my current commitments they understood I couldn’t start until September. It wasn’t a problem though and there certainly wasn’t any pressure applied by Radfield. They supported me throughout this time – it really was worth the wait!

What are your career aspirations?

I’m quite happy at the moment where I am, especially as I have a young one, but I’d like to hopefully increase my hours and work towards a supervisor role in the future. I already feel like I am a valuable member of the team and that I’m having a positive impact on my clients life – it’s such a great feeling.

Any special moments with clients you would like to share?

Recently I had some thank you cards sent to me and this meant so much as it has been really hard for many of us home care assistants working throughout covid. I had three cards from three clients and one lady also texted to say how amazing her care had been. It just makes it so worthwhile and I was in tears, especially as she requested my care. Being able to have that connection and respect her dignity is just such a privilege, trust is earnt and it’s fantastic to have that as a caregiver.

What do you love most about your job and working for Radfield Home Care?

That I make a difference every day when I visit a client. I love the way that they smile when they see you and say hello and that they are glad that I’m there. Even when I’m tired, when I go to work I come back and I feel like it’s all been so worthwhile.

I also don’t have any worries about the continuity of care if I am on leave because I know everyone is caring to the same excellent standard and any concerns will get addressed straight away. From the start, I felt so valued in the team and Sonya Cole, Radfield Home Care Shrewsbury and Oswestry’s registered care manager, is amazing. If I have any questions she’s straight on it and it gives you a real sense of confidence in the team and that they are doing the best they can for that individual. They really do want to do the best, for Radfield it really is an industry of care, not money.