HC-One, the Kind Care Company, is marking Professional Care Workers’ Week 2023, hosted by the Care Workers’ Charity, which is taking place the 18th – 22nd September for the sixth consecutive year, to celebrate care workers and the essential work they do, whilst also promoting awareness and raising the profile of working in the care sector.
HC-One care homes across the UK will be getting involved with the week’s activities which include celebration events, fundraisers, virtual talks, panels and information sessions which will be delivered by care workers and care managers alongside some of the biggest names in Adult Social Care. The latter activities will provide colleagues with the opportunity to come together, share best practice and discuss the key challenges faced, reflecting on the incredible work of the workforce and the ways in which colleagues can maximise the quality of care given to those who use the sectors services.
HC-One care homes will be using the week to show appreciation to their teams by giving little tokens of gratitude including thank you cards, cakes, and presenting certificates.
Professional Care Worker’s Week has provided HC-One with the opportunity to shine a light on the work its amazing colleagues working in its care homes do, exploring some of the issues faced by the workforce and faced by the sector as a whole. Here are some case studies of the amazing HC-One colleagues who work in our care homes:
Rikki Hall, Home Manager at
Park House Care Home completed her Care Leadership and Management Level 5 Apprenticeship at HC-One
Rikki Hall, Home Manager at Park House Care Home in Guisborough, Redcar has completed a number of apprenticeships throughout her career at HC-One including a Level 2 in Health and Social Care Apprenticeship, a Level 3 in Health and Social Care before then progressing to complete her Level 5 Leader of Adult Care in 2021 and becoming a HC-One Aspiring Home Manager Candidate in 2023.
Speaking about what she learnt, what she enjoyed most, her career goals and aspirations plus the benefits of completing her apprenticeship at HC-One, Rikki said:
“I gained more knowledge and understanding around the relevant legislations and laws relevant in the workplace. I enjoyed learning new things, my Learning Coach provided me with resources and case studies that were useful.
“I’m still learning new things every day and even when you think you know everything, something comes up that I haven’t dealt with before. I have now progressed to become a Home Manager and completing my Level 5 Apprenticeship has given me the confidence to achieve this. I would recommend completing an apprenticeship to other colleagues. HC-One are supportive and so are the Lifetime Coaches, they’re really understanding.”
Niall Hutton, Nursing Assistant at
Capwell Grange Care Home completed his Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 Apprenticeship at HC-One
Niall Hutton, Nursing Assistant at Capwell Grange Care Home in Luton, Bedfordshire completed his Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 Apprenticeship and won the Regional Rising Star Award at the East Midlands Regional National Apprenticeship Awards 2022.
Speaking of his award win, memorable moments, advice for others and plans for the future, Niall commented:
“Winning the Regional Rising Star Award at the East Midlands Regional National Apprenticeship Awards 2022 felt great because I was receiving recognition for the things I had accomplished. I particularly enjoyed getting Resident feedback during my apprenticeship; getting to hear their perceptions of my ways of working and of the way I treat others was really moving.
“The Learning Coaches at Lifetime Training offer lots of support and guidance and were very friendly, they also have a very good interactive website with extensive resources for your learning to make the apprenticeships easier to follow and to finish even with a distinction. It is never too late to improve your skills professionally or personally and doing an apprenticeship provides ample opportunity to do so.
“The next step for me is ideally to go on to do a GP Apprenticeship or Nursing Degree Apprenticeship with HC-One next year, so that I can become a Registered Nurse. I wouldn’t have been confident enough to look at doing this if it wasn’t for completing the apprenticeship with Lifetime Training and being promoted to Nursing Assistant. I have an aspiration once I have gained Registered Nurse status in future years to convert that nursing degree into a degree in medicine.”
Agnes Chitsiga, Unit Manager at
Fieldway Care Home completed her Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship at HC-One
Agnes has worked at HC-One for eight years; she started as a Carer before progressing to being a Senior Carer and now a Unit Manager. Agnes is ambitious and in 2019 completed her Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship.
Speaking about completing her apprenticeship at HC-One, Agnes stated:
“Starting my Level 3 Apprenticeship has enabled me to also join HC-One’s internal Care Assistant Development Programme, which alongside my apprenticeship has developed my clinical skills and enabled me to be a Nursing Assistant.
“I always try to lead by example and encourage others to learn and thrive in their careers. I am very supportive of colleagues progressing and accessing learning opportunities, talking to them about my own career journey and how I got to the position I am in at HC-One, having previously been a Primary School Teacher and changing my career direction.
“My ambition is to become a Registered Nurse and completing my Level 3 Apprenticeship has given me the confidence to go onto the next phase of my career plan. I applied and have been accepted for an interview to complete a Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship at HC-One. This has been a long-term aspiration for me.”
Susan Beasley, Apprenticeships & Qualifications Manager at HC-One, commented:
“Professional Care Workers Week will provide HC-One with the opportunity to raise the profile of care workers and for us to share and for others to learn from our HC-One colleagues’ best practices, showcase the fantastic work they do, share experiences, and have discussions about the wellbeing of care workers, recognising the skills of the workforce and discussing other ways in which we can support our colleagues.
“The week will be a great chance to thank our colleagues for all the hard work they deliver daily and recognise the diverse skillset that our colleagues bring to their roles and the amount of responsibility that comes with this. They are truly of immense value to our society. At HC-One, we strongly believe in recognising our colleagues’ skills and achievements, as well as providing them with opportunities to develop and progress in their careers.”