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Why I became a care assistant
At Bluebird Care Portsmouth, our care assistants are the heart of our business. These are stories by our staff about why they chose to work in-home care and allows you an insight into their day-to-day lives as a care assistant. Read some of the special stories our staff have to tell about their experiences working for Bluebird Care Portsmouth.
If after reading our staff stories you are eager to learn more about us, please view our vacancies page or contact our friendly team on 02392 006 218.
Andy's Story
Andy joined Bluebird in July 2016 and has worked directly with clients since December 2010.
My career lightbulb moment came when I attended a carer meeting at a large residential home in London. My role then was as a HR operations manager and I worked very closely with the care director, managers, and team leaders in all HR matters, especially in relation to recruitment, training, and managing work-life balance.
I arrived 30 minutes early and watched a carer working directly with an elderly resident who was very confused and stressed. I soon realised the impact you can have in someone's life and how important good communication and a caring nature went hand in hand. Within 3 months I joined a local housing association with a care division and worked in residential, supported living, and community care with clients who had learning difficulties, autism and epilepsy. I soon realised that I could use skills from my previous roles, being structured and a good communicator was key for both the clients and myself. I participated in all training available and watched and learned from both good and bad carers.
I became involved in coordinating events and arranged and supported holidays for clients. I completed my NVQ level 3 in care and became a SOVA champion and CQC guru for other homes. To demonstrate how much I enjoyed my role I made a daily 50 miles (each way) commute to and from work for over 3 years.
I was tempted away by Bluebird Care Portsmouth and one of the key messages both during the interview and since I joined is around person-centred planning which is one of my key beliefs in achieving successful care.
Bluebird Care has also recognised my needs for training and I have recently attended a dementia champions training day, which will enable us to pass knowledge of dementia onto as many people as we can.
Recently Andy has been nominated for Neuro Care Championship by Portsmouth council. Click here Neuro-Care-Champion to watch his video.