While essential proficiencies and knowledge can be learned and practised, it’s the quality of their people skills that makes some care workers so exceptional. Our values play a huge role in the way that we deliver care. We carefully induct all new staff, ensuring that they understand and buy into our vision and core values, which affect everything they do. We have also aligned the qualities required of our carers to our Canford Healthcare values.
We are committed to offering attentive, person-led care with kindness and compassion, rather than simply going through the motions and performing tasks mechanically out of a sense of duty. We want our residents to feel safe, respected and comfortable at all times, and also ensure that they maintain their sense of dignity throughout. When going about our daily duties, it is engrained in all of us to ask ourselves the all-important questions: “Would I feel comfortable receiving care in this way? How would I want my mum/dad/gran treated in this situation?” And, if something is wrong, getting it dealt with promptly.
Caring for people with physical and psychological health issues requires calm and patience, as well as professionalism. If you are a keyworker to several residents, ensuring that everyone is looked after – and at their own individual pace – can be challenging. Performing care effectively while remaining unruffled and good-natured, however demanding the situation, is all part of the job.
Do you have a passion for helping those in need? Putting others before themselves is a trait that many care workers share, and most see their work as a calling rather than just a job. Even in difficult situations, the best carers the extra mile for those in their care without expecting recognition or other reward.
A friendly presence ensures that residents feel happy, safe and respected. Being open and warm helps care workers build a good rapport with residents, developing better working relationships as well as long-term friendships.
Residents are all individuals with their own rights and needs. Regardless of their lifestyle and beliefs, they should always be treated fairly and respectfully in a way that maintains their dignity and privacy and promotes their individuality.
Residents are all individuals with their own rights and needs. Regardless of their lifestyle and beliefs, they should always be treated fairly and respectfully in a way that maintains their dignity and privacy and promotes their individuality.
Our residents’ needs do not stop, just because it’s the end of your shift! We need to be flexible enough to ensure that residents receive excellent care at all times, whatever the circumstances.
Most people gain care qualifications while at work. Right from induction, training is both rigorous and ongoing to ensure you’re safe and effective at work. In addition, treating every day as a learning experience and reflecting on how you’ve managed certain situations can also enhance your knowledge and skills.
Many vulnerable individuals see their care workers as their lifeline, performing the activities necessary for their daily living, as well as providing conversation and friendship. Being reliable is a key requirement of the job – unnecessary short-term routine changes could cause physical and psychological damage. It’s also important to remember that we have a duty to protect residents at all times, shielding them from undue anxiety and maintaining a professional distance when required.
To develop effective teams, we need a mixture of care workers with complementary skills, which may include one or more of the following:
Clear communication skills
You will need to be able to read and write clearly in the language used by the service. Being a good listener is also essential. Interacting successfully with people from different backgrounds with individual (and often complex) needs is not always easy. Listening attentively to them, explaining what you are doing and asking their permission will help to forge a healthy and happy relationship. Clear communication with colleagues also ensures that all residents receive a good/excellent level of care.
Strong interpersonal skills
The ability to work effectively on your own as an individual or as part of a team, whatever is required in a particular situation, is a highly desirable skill. This means being able to get on with the job under any circumstances and communicate clearly with all parties concerned, especially where conflict is involved or where people exhibit challenging behaviour.
Good organisation skills
Working in a care home requires planning and co-ordination with the rest of the team to ensure that residents receive their medical and personal care, nutrition and activities. You will also have to manage your own time and know how to prioritise tasks, sometimes when requirements change at very short notice. There’s a lot to remember, too, about the health, capability and needs of each resident – so being well organised is vital.
Problem-solving skills
Carers work in an increasingly complex industry. They must be able to think on their feet, always being alert to changes in a resident’s symptoms and behaviour so they can head off potential health problems before they become more serious. The ability to find solutions to resolve issues and challenges efficiently and effectively is very valuable.
Team skills
To develop an effective team, we require people who enjoy working as a team member under direction. We also need those with good leadership and organisational skills at all levels to create a constructive environment and enable colleagues to feel engaged, motivated and focused on the vital job in hand – delivering high-quality care to society’s most vulnerable people. A big part of leadership is about ‘walking the walk’ – consistently demonstrating good work practices and thereby positively influencing the quality of care throughout the home.
Proficiency with a smartphone
Most people nowadays can easily use computers, printers and other equipment. But for us, the ability to use a smartphone is essential because all our homes are digitally equipped. We pride ourselves on using current technology – not only to deliver care but also to free up time for more care! You will need to be able to keep in touch with families, colleagues and professionals, especially in emergency situations.
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