200 new carer jobs will be created in Mansfield, Ashfield and Sherwood

Care UK was chosen to run the service providing around 9,500 hours of care a week to older and disabled people by Nottinghamshire County Council’s social services department.

Lucy Wright, Care UK’s senior project manager, said: “We have been providing care at home services for the county council for many years and we have a reputation for excellence and reliability.

“Because we have been awarded this new contract in the Mansfield, Ashfield and Sherwood areas, we will be creating more than 200 new carer posts to help us deliver the high standard of care people have come to expect from our service in their homes.

“Our success is down to our flexible approach, designed to give everyone a truly person-centred service. We fit around each individual’s needs, delivering support in a way which is convenient and enhances people’s lives, rather than interrupts them.

“This can include anything from help with housework to assistance with ongoing medical conditions, such as dementia. We also support people to maintain their hobbies, interest and friendships – for example, we can take people to a café to meet their friends or out for some shopping. We also offer respite care so that a family can go away for a holiday knowing their relative is safe and well cared for.”

Trainees for the new posts will be given a six-day intensive induction course that teaches the required skills and knowledge. During the training, Care UK sees whether candidates have the right attitude, compassion and commitment to deliver the expected high standards of care. The training places a special emphasis on understanding and supporting people living with dementia.

After training, candidates who have successfully completed the course will be paired with a buddy or shadow trainer who continues to train, mentor and support them, even when they have their own rota of service users.

To support service users and carers, the team is opening a new hub office close to the centre of Mansfield to coordinate visits and training. Lucy said: “The new office on the Oakham Business Park has two large training rooms to enable us to keep up with career and caring development needs.

“We will coordinate rotas and carers from there. We can also make short notice changes if a carer is ill, their car has broken down or they are just running late, so that we don’t inconvenience service users.”

From October, carers will carry a GPS phone with them that not only gives them up-to-date details on the people they are visiting but also lets the office know where they are if they have transport problems, or are running late, improving safety for the carers and the service for the clients.

Anyone interested in taking up or further developing a career in care should call the recruitment direct line on 0333 200 1720, while anyone interested in learning more about receiving domiciliary care should go to www.careuk.com and search care in the area or telephone the main office on 0333 9997628.