Helping Hands Home Care (Harlow)

About me

My role at Helping Hands as a branch manager is to make sure my customers are receiving safe care and that the visiting carer has the right knowledge of the customers' needs. I also make sure the carers are promoting independence during the time in our customers' homes. It's also my responsibility to make sure my care staff have a safe working environment and to follow regular check-ups of my customers and carers to ensure their wellbeing.
I joined the care industry because I have always liked helping people and making a difference.

I think the service we provide is amazing, I love the fact that my team and myself work together to ensure people can stay in their homes for as long as possible. I think it gives family members peace of mind as well, knowing that we have very well-trained and trusted carers and staff to look after their relatives. Whether it be to give them a break or because they live too far away, we are always sure to keep them informed.

I'm a single mum to a beautiful little girl and I like to spend time with her; we are always going out and some of our favourite things are the zoo and the beach. I used to do dance, cheerleading and gymnastics and it's still something that I'm passionate about. I eventually taught dance and I've performed many times over my career as a dancer in a wide variety of places, such as the Lord Mayor's show, Disneyland, X-factor and as an extra in a few productions.

I spend most of my time away from work with my daughter and family, but I do occasionally go out with my friends. I am a hard worker and I always put others before myself and I think people see that.

Experience and expertise

At the beginning of my career, I worked in performing arts, I was a dance teacher and dancer.

I then joined a health and social care, working in medical recruitment. I recruited doctors, nurses, and bank staff to name a few, for hospitals and surgeries.

I have been in the social care sector for 10 years, but I joined the Helping Hands care team in September 2020 as a care assistant in the Chigwell branch. I worked my way up and became Care and Training Practitioner, then I helped the company with recruitment for multiple branches. In December 2021 I moved over to the Harlow branch and became the Branch Care Manager.

I am about to start my NVQ Level 5 in Social Care and I already have an NVQ Level 2 in Business and Administration.

As a care worker, I would look after my customer's well-being. I would cook and clean for them, help with personal care and be a friend to them as well as do what I could to help them stay at home. As a care and training practitioner, my job role was to make sure the carers were properly trained to take care of our customers; I would go out and observe the carers working to make sure they are working within the values of the company. I also did the monthly auditing to be sure that all care calls, medication, and financial calls taking place are done on time, efficiently and to the standard the company holds, as well as making sure correct documentation is in place.
As a branch care manager my job involves making sure my carers provide safe care and are promoting independence for our customers, as well as making sure we are effective as a business and making sure the right care is in place for our customers. I like to check on the well-being of customers and carers as part of my job while growing the business, and also making sure my carers are happy within their roles.

I have a good team that all have the same goal in mind. My carers are a great team of people and they're all in the role for the right reason. They are all hard-working and go above and beyond.

Why I chose Helping Hands

I chose Helping Hands because I wanted to make a difference and I like the values the company identify with. I also like the flexibility of the job as I had just had my daughter so I could care for her and work around the hours I had available.

I am looking forward to growing the customer and carer base and providing more care as the business grows. I am also looking forward to completing my NVQ.
I enjoy seeing that the carers feel valued and rewarded for their hard work.

I enjoy seeing that the customers are feeling heard and supported in what they want out of the care they receive.
I enjoy going out and meeting potential customers and I also enjoy being a part of the team that I have now.