This week we are celebrating one important event for health and social care: Professional Care Workers’ Week. As we celebrate it, we would like to take some moments to reflect on the fundamental role that these individuals have on each of the residents and patients they work with but also on the sector in general.
To find out more about our way of saying “thank you” to them, continue reading:
Care Workers – the heart of social care
When thinking of the health and social care sector, one of the key players are care workers. As a dedicated group, they work tirelessly to provide the best person-centred care to each individual by focussing on their unique needs and goals. Without their dedication and effort, the wellbeing of all patients would be dramatically impacted and their quality of life diminished.
Care workers have a pivotal role, as they support residents and patients with different conditions and help them in daily tasks related to personal hygiene, medication management, meal preparation, mobility support and many others. Nevertheless, their role goes well beyond these, as they are also very involved in providing emotional support and companionship to the ones in need. The care workers are, thus, not only highly skilled professionals but also good listeners.
Challenges faced by care workers
Care workers are an important category of workers without whom this sector won’t be able to perform at its peak. Their commitment to support everyone, while also maintaining the sense of dignity, autonomy and independence of each patient or resident means that the care workers have to maintain their high alert.
As the demands of each patient are unique and the areas in which the care workers perform are various, this job can become exhausting, both physically and mentally. As well as that, as it happens in many other sectors, the payment may not always reflect the level of engagement and dedication required.
Our approach to our valuable team members
Over the last 30 years of activity, Askham has remained true to its core values while providing quality services to its residents. While at the core of everything that we do is the commitment to support everyone staying with us, we have always strived to also offer support to each of our team members. That is why, we have prioritised the wellbeing of our staff through many different ways: from creating an onsite training facility where they can be up-to-date with the mandatory training to constantly reviewing staff remuneration and making changes whenever possible. One of the reviews that was altogether crucial and challenging was during the pandemic when the Askham board decided to commit to National Living Wage for frontline care workers that was directly funded by the organisation.
Discussing about the payment reviews and the need for sustainability, Aliyyah-Begum Nasser, Director at Askham Village Community, says: “We are so proud of each of our care workers – we know that without them our work wouldn’t be possible and we thank them for being here and supporting each of our residents. As an independent family-run business, we are very lucky to work closely with the care team, to listen to their feedback and to be able to progress together. We know how important staff remuneration is and we constantly work on reviewing it – nevertheless, we try to also offer other symbols of appreciation in order to still remain sustainable as a business. The Askham board together with the management team work closely to always find new methods to recognise the work done by our staff. From the retention package we have in place to small tokens and vouchers we offer with different occasions we try to say thanks to our team members as much as we can.”
The retention package we have in place has many benefits including: annual attendance bonus, compassionate leave, wellbeing leave, compliance bonus, birthday present and many others. As well as that, Askham also offers bonuses when team members refer a friend that successfully passed probation.
Talking about the role of care workers at Askham, Aliyyah adds: “Care workers are fundamental team players – they are at the heart of what we do here at Askham and they will continue to remain like this. We are proud to have such a diverse team of care workers who are dedicated and remain committed to their role in supporting our residents. We are also very lucky to have a high retention rate. We thank each and every one of them for being part of the team and for making sure every resident receives the best possible care. We recognise their role and we thank them for the outstanding efforts they do daily.”
About Professional Care Workers’ Week
Professional Care Workers’ Week is a celebration of all care workers organised by The Care Workers’ Charity, a charitable organisation that Askham is proudly a member of for over two years now. Between 18th and 22nd September, they organise different events to encourage raising awareness on the role of care workers within the sector. Apart from this, they highlight the importance of professionalisation of these individuals who need to be constantly supported in order to surpass all the challenges they face. If you want to find out more about this initiative or to get involved throughout this week, click here.
At our care home and rehab centre in Cambridgeshire, individuals can expect a personal experience within a compassionate environment. Whether you’re visiting for the day, receiving long-term or respite care, or need specialist rehabilitation care, we endeavour to deliver the very best care possible.
At Askham Village Community, we’re always welcoming new staff into our growing community. For further information, please contact 01354 740269 or visit our website.