Welcome to Bluebird Care Careers in Edinburgh

I have 10 years’ experience in the care at home sector, all of which have been with Bluebird Care Edinburgh.  I have been lucky to have been able to grow and develop my skills, during this time, from a care coordinator to my current role.  As Head of People it allows me to work with a great team across Edinburgh, Glasgow and now Ayrshire, to ensure that we recruit, induct and support amazing care staff. I am passionate about training, career development, supporting our employees and creating a positive working environment for all.  As part of the management team, I am in a privileged position to be able to shape the way of the future for our customers and employees.

Outside of work, I am mum to Edith who keeps me on my toes but teaches me a lot about myself and the world.  I have a wonderful husband Neil, who makes me laugh daily and reminds me that I can achieve whatever I set I mind to.  I love to keep fit and still use my personal training days to help others, achieve their goals.

I have been involved within the recruitment industry for over 30 years at various levels throughout my career, being REC accredited and part CIPD qualified.

I truly understand the importance of listening, engaging and delivering for prospective candidates, having latterly worked for a large health organisation managing a large area, ensuring medication reached vulnerable people in the community. 

This enthused me to move into a care role that would utilise my skills and add value to the Bluebird Care family ethos; the feeling I get when providing a dedicated and caring individual from initial contact through to first day induction …. Is “Brill”

My career background initially was always secretarial. When my children were small I wanted something that would give me to flexibility to enable me to work from home, so I started a small ironing business with a few clients. As my children moved onto High school I felt the time was right to re-evaluate my career and see what my next challenge would be!

Around about the same time, my mother had been receiving care at home and I was taken with the way the carers dealt with and interacted (or not) with her and the whole thing struck a chord with me. The whole concept of looking after others, less fortunate than myself, in the comfort of their own home really appealed to me so I did some research on the sector. Upon reading, it made me want to make this my new profession as I felt I would be good fit for any good organisation willing to take a chance on someone who never did this type of thing before, but someone who had a good heart and was keen to learn.

I applied to Bluebird Care Edinburgh, as I’d heard great things about them, was interviewed and offered a role which I readily accepted. I really enjoyed the initial week induction training and felt I was ready to start my new career as a Care Assistant.Being a Carer really made me feel that I was making a difference, I loved going into my Customers houses and making a difference to their daily lives.It made me realise that even the little things meant such a lot to them. My role gave me such a feeling of job satisfaction that I have made a difference to people lives.

I have been with Bluebird Care for 5 years now and have really enjoyed it all. I am very keen to progress my career and when a position became available working as the  Recruitment Resourcer, I jumped at the chance to further enhance my care sector experience. I loved seeing how the new staff progressed, from my initial contact through to the delivery of care and some of the wonderful comments from both colleagues and customers alike.

I have a passion for learning and developing people within the workforce and overall care sector and I am proud to say that my new role as People Development & Engagement Officer has re-invigorated me and I am thoroughly enjoying this new role within Bluebird Care, as I still feel that I can make a difference, but just in a different area.

I started off my Career working in a lawyers when I left school but found this very boring. I then moved onto the Examinations Department within the National Board of Nursing and Midwifery for Scotland which I found very interesting when meeting with all the Health Care staff who put together the exam papers. I wanted to travel so worked in Australia for a year. When I returned I wanted to move into nursing and worked as an auxiliary for a couple of years. I was then offered a position to help run and build up a cleaning business which I jumped at as this was the challenge I was looking for.

After 20 years we had built this to a National Company employing more than 1000 staff and ended up as Director of Finance and Administration. I found there was no longer a challenge for me then decided to set up my own cleaning business, this quickly turned into more of a care role as I ended up helping the older Customers with personal care as well as their cleaning. I enjoyed helping others less fortunate and able than myself and went to work with the disabled as a support worker – empowering them to improve  and enjoy life, while doing this I worked as a Supervisor for a Care at home company which I also found I had so much job satisfaction from helping others.

It was after this I moved to Bluebird Care in 2011 . I have had varied roles within the company enjoying each of them. I left my full time job to become a Mum in 2013 but did not want to stop working with Bluebird Care so I returned  part time in their accounts department and love my job and the company I work with. In 2017 I increased my hours and became Office/Finance Manager. I love a challenge and making improvements where I can but the best part of working for Bluebird Care is when you think you have had a bad day then you speak to one of our Customers who are so thankful for the little things in life that our Carers do for them – this makes any bad day simply fade away.

I first became involved in the Care sector 10 years ago when I started looking after my Grandfather. After he passed away I felt I had the passion, desire and qualities to become a compassionate carer for other people less fortunate than myself.

I started work with Bluebird Care Edinburgh in December 2012 as a care worker up until August 2013, when I took on the role as On-Call Coordinator. In October 2014 the role of Supervisor became available I was fortunate and delighted to say I was offered the role. After being in the Supervisor role and assisting with the coordinating when needed, I was offered the Coordinators role on a permanent basis. I am now one of 2 Co-ordinators working in the office; due to the level of work involved, it was decided that the areas would be split between us and I am now responsible for the North and East of Edinburgh.

I have completed my SVQ4 in Health and Social Care and achieved the James Watt Level 2 Dementia certificate. I have also completed my Train the Trainer for Moving & Handling and Medicationan the Bluebird Care Coordinator Training Courses.

All the above courses I have been able to achieve through working with Bluebird Care Edinburgh.

I enjoy the daily challenges that the Co-ordinating role brings.

I had various roles throughout my career, I previously worked within the care industry as a carer when my two daughters were very young. I left this role to move from a small town in the Scottish borders to Edinburgh where I took on a job in the courier industry.

I initially spent 5 years with the first company and then moved to my previous role where I spent the next 10. I loved logistics as it was like solving a puzzle; getting items from A to B without delay. Daily dealings with customers, government agencies and various logistic providers has given me the transferable communication skills to deal at ease with a range of people confidently. I took on numerous roles within that company during my time there, I found the most interesting and best suited to me was working with accounts.

I want to continue and further my career in accounts and feel my new role as Accounts Assistant at Bluebird Care will help develop my existing skillset and challenge me.