If you want to know what it is really like working in the care industry, ask former police officer Wendy Ashwell Macphail. After 14 years in a caring role, Wendy is still as passionate and enthusiastic about working in the sector as she was on her first day of employment.
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Today, she works with Mears Supported Living Limited and, in two short years, has worked her way up the career ladder to deputy service manager.
It is now her job to make sure that Mears provides the best supported care as possible for people with physical, learning or mental health challenges.
Like so many of those who opt for a career in care, Wendy has gained relevant experience in another role. But often it comes down to the type of person you are to work in this challenging, yet rewarding, industry.
Climbing the care career ladder
Wendy gained her ‘people skills’ while working in the oil sector as a supervisor, before qualifying as a police officer for Grampian Police (now part of Police Scotland), then left in 2008 to go into the care sector.
In 2018, she joined Mears Supported Living Limited – one of the UK’s leading care and housing providers to both the public and private sectors. She took a pay cut to work for the organisation, which she had applied to on two previous occasions. It was third time lucky for Wendy, as she finally gained a supervisor’s role at Mears.
She explained: “I had heard about Mears, they were local and I wanted to join them – I applied three times, and finally got an interview. From the get-go, I liked them. I liked the ethos and it sounded like a lovely place to work.”
The supervisor’s role was Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, which Wendy admits “was unheard of in the care industry”.
Within 18 months, she was promoted to coordinator in Turriff, and admits: “My dream to manage Turriff, it has a complex with four flats and is a lovely place to be, every service user I have worked with or supported has a redeeming quality about them.
“When I for the role of coordinator, I took over a ‘failing service’ and, together with the supervisor, Sue Cassie, we brought the service back up to date in 10 months. It was running well.”
A career in care, for those passionate about people
Wendy was in line for another promotion in October 2020 and was appointed deputy service manager, a position she still holds today. It’s understandable why Wendy has excelled in the sector, because of her passion and enthusiasm for what she does.
She explained: “We look after people of all ages, from 18 to 76 years old. It’s supported living in their own home, and we support them to be the best they can be. Our service users are just like you and I. We take them to new places and to try new things – the things you and I take for granted.
“In our role, we get the chance to spend quality time doing activities with people and, as deputy service manager, I make sure we are providing the very best care for our people.
“If you genuinely like people and want to put something back into the community, support people and give them their independence to try a new activity – then the role of a support worker is for you.”
Care and the Covid impact
Like many industries, the care sector has been hit hard during the pandemic. Because of many factors – including public perception of what it is like to work in care and, perhaps more controversially, staff vaccinations – the sector has experienced difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.
But the public perception of what it is really like to work in this industry is wrong, and this is something Wendy is keen to put right.
She explained: “Covid hit us very hard – recruitment in the care industry is difficult and people don’t want to go into care for some reason – but care isn’t what people think it is.
“There is such a huge misconception about what we do – we don’t sit around drinking tea with old people all day. It’s so much more than that and every day is different.
“We have taken people on holiday or on a fishing trip as well as sit and do the simple things, like a jigsaw puzzle. If someone wants to do a parachute jump, we will try to make that happen for them.
“The work we do is all about the people and making their lives better than what it was yesterday – and we get paid for it too! In fact, our wages have gone up exponentially. A support worker can now earn up to £10.50 an hour.
It’s so rewarding – I like to feel like I am giving something back to the community. I am very enthusiastic about what I do.
Could you be cut out for a career in care?
Mears Supported Living, where Wendy works, is currently in the midst of a recruitment drive. The organisation hopes to take on new support workers to join its small, friendly team. You do not need experience in the care industry, just life experience.
The role within the supported living service will provide support and care to individuals with learning disabilities, mental health problems or physical disabilities. “You will support service users to live the lives that they want and be part of the local community”, states Mears’ when advertising jobs as a support worker in Aberdeenshire.
Wendy added: “Being a support worker is a role that would suit anybody who likes working with people, as it works around your life – you can do full-time or part-time or just weekends. It is also a fantastic foundation for anyone who wants to go on to become a social worker.
And, at Mears we have a special incentive – if you recommend a friend to come and work for us, you’ll receive £1,000!
JOB OPPORTUNITY: If you are looking for a carer job with no experience, are an experienced support worker or, like former police officer Wendy, fancy a change of career and have the empathy for this rewarding opportunity, Mears would like to hear from you. Call Jacolyn or Alix on 01261 830120 to find out more and apply, or visit Mears’ website.