Recruiting the right quality of carer is fundamental to our business, we are only as good as our carers – and because we know what makes a good carer there are a select number of skills and behaviours that we look for.
Communication Skills
Often the first question we get asked about concerns communication skills – an obvious concern given the array of nationalities that make up our carer base. Given the first stage of our process is a telephone interview this is something that we can very easily make a judgement on. Their use of language, both verbally and written is something that we continually assess through their induction. It is simple, if we cannot communicate easily and freely with a carer then we cannot expect an elderly client with perhaps limited cognitive ability to either.
Experience
The vast majority of our carers will bring with them a wealth of experience, whether it be live-in care directly, support in a residential setting or in a more informal family role. Any formal experience will be qualified through references and certification, similarly through direct observation we can quickly ascertain the appropriateness of skills already learnt to our client base.
Drivers
Clients typically ask for a driver for one of two reasons :
- It is a prerequisite for the person receiving the care. ie, to enable them to maintain their level of independence socially or for frequent medical appointments.
- Rural isolation of the property
A proportion of our carers will have an appropriate licence enabling them to drive in the UK. Very few will have their own vehicle and so will need to be included on insurance privately.
We ask our carers to provide physical support to clients as well as personal care. Therefore our expectations regarding the level of housekeeping and cooking are set out at the very start of the process.
Behaviours
We understand that when accepting a live-in carer into your home we have to look at social compatibility as well as the professional skills that they can deliver. Some clients benefit from a vivacious outgoing character to motivate whereas others need a more subtle, gentle personality to coax and nuture. Understanding the different personalities of our carers therefore is key.
There are of course also the general characteristics we can equate with a professional carer. We are looking for evidence of reliability and integrity, examples of initiative and flexibility as well as resilience and patience. All underpinned by a naturally caring disposition.
We invest heavily in time and resource to ensure that only those that meet these exacting standards make it through to our care team. That is why we are confident that you wont find better.