Why choosing a career as an HRM Homecare carer should be the No1 New Year’s resolution for all jobseekers
Next year will be the 27th year of HRM Homecare. It’s fair to say the COVID-hit year just ending has been the toughest I can remember since setting up the business.
But 2020 has brought renewed focus on the critical role carers play in Scottish society in helping make sure vulnerable people – many of whom suffer severe life challenges including dementia – stay safe and healthy in their own homes.
I witnessed first-hand how every single HRM Homecare worker continues to deliver the best care, despite the challenges this year has presented. Take our wonderful operations manager Susie. Susie takes time to go that extra mile and visit service users who like their nails polished, hair done or beards trimmed. Or our wellness team who helped people who, through severe past trauma, were struggling to receive the correct level of care to meet their life challenges. Their ability to provide empathetic support shone through and helped them overcome these issues, so they now live at home as independently as possible.
My biggest wish for 2021 is to encourage more talented people like those in our team, to consider a career in care – especially those who through no fault of their own have seen their careers stall due to the economic hit from the Coronavirus pandemic.
People forget, or simply don’t know, that the social care sector is the fourth largest major economic contributor in Scotland, higher than agriculture, forestry and fishing and the arts and entertainment. Two years ago a Scottish Social Services Council report revealed the sector was worth £3.4 billion, with nearly 148,000 people working for more than 5,000 regulated services, providing 6% of the total workforce in Scotland.
That is because, like the NHS, the care at home sector has a hugely vital role to play in today’s society. For many years we have helped those with severe life challenges continue to live well in their own homes. Currently we provide 9,000 hours of care for more than 680 people across west and central Scotland, including Falkirk, Glasgow, North and South Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire.
That requires a large, dedicated team of people who show the same level of dedication as Susie and our wellness team. It’s a team I am always looking to grow, as I want the best, most talented people to be carers. In return we will train you through our own bespoke training centre, HSC Futures. We offer flexible work patterns, family-friendly working and work life balance, employee wage advancements, healthcare and are an accredited living wage employer.
So my first message of 2021 is to encourage all those people out there who are at a career crossroads due to the pandemic, to think about becoming carers. We will train and reward you with the opportunity to build and grow in a new career, you will reward others by helping them to live well in their own homes.
To find out more, or to arrange an interview, ring 01236 702713 or email recruitment@hrmhomecare.co.uk
Lynn Laughland, MD