The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK. The demand for care has never been greater, yet this demand is far higher than the supply of carers and support workers entering the healthcare workforce.
Many vulnerable adults are not receiving the care that they require. As a result, the care industry is changing, and Christies Care is committed to evolving, expanding, and adapting in a way that will benefit both our carers and our clients now – and in the future.
Offering More Variety in Homecare Services and Care Jobs
We have been a country-wide live-in homecare provider for 37 years. Twice rated “Outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission, we have grown to become leaders in homecare. Live-in care is here to stay, and with new changes in the industry, comes growth.
By expanding our services to include new forms of domiciliary care, we are able to support a broader range of needs and circumstances and further benefit our clients and the communities within which we work.
We can now offer our carers a greater choice of work opportunities where they can choose the best fit for their circumstances and home responsibilities.
More Variety of Homecare Services
Respite and Convalescent Care
Live-in care is often thought of as a long-term option and in many cases it is. This is not necessarily the case for respite and convalescent care, however.
In these types of care, a 24-hour live-in carer is often still required, but only temporarily or for a shorter period of time. Many of our respite and convalescent clients have recently been discharged from the hospital after an operation or a fall, or are recovering from other medical conditions, and need help at home until they recover. In other cases, a regular carer or family caregiver may need a break. We then provide a live-in carer to cover these circumstances, ensuring that their family member or client receives consistent and professional support.
Hourly Visiting Homecare: Saxmundham and now Stowmarket
In June 2022, we launched Christies Care’s first Hourly Visiting Homecare Service in Saxmundham. Whereas Live-in care is defined by a carer living with a client in their home full-time, our hourly homecare is more flexible. The client determines how much care they need and when they need it. This can be from as little as 1 hour a week to multiple hours each day.
Hourly homecare is personalised to suit the client’s precise routine, needs and wishes. Our carers provide outstanding tailored support for a wide range of tasks, including managing and administering medication, helping with personal care and hygiene, doing housekeeping tasks, and assisting with mobility or other daily activities. Beyond physical care-related tasks, our carers also provide companionship and support.
We have used our 37 years of experience in providing Live-in Care to create our new Hourly Care Service Model. The same team members, policies, practices, and high standards that got us our prestigious ranking held by less than 5% of care agencies in England – are now being applied to our hourly services.
Over the last two years we have grown to offer more than 600 hours of homecare per week to the Suffolk Coastal community, and we now have over 30 dedicated hourly carers who are working within a 20-mile radius along the Suffolk Coast.
Through the success of our first branch, we have been able to extend to Stowmarket. This is the first step in making our way inland, paving the way for future branches and our long-term goal of being able to provide hourly visiting homecare throughout Rural Suffolk.
To reach this goal, we have brought Ian Ibrahim onboard. As our new Head of Branch Development East Anglia, Ian brings his extensive expertise in branch development and his passion for delivering outstanding customer service to our team.
“As the needs of our clients change, Christies Care will be able to meet them. With our hourly homecare services, we will be here to deliver outstanding care at any point when our clients need us.”
Ian Ibrahim (Head of Branch Development East Anglia)
More Variety of Care Assistant Jobs: Flexibility and Work-life Balance
Caring is more than just a career. For many of us in the industry, it is a calling to make a difference. However, life is busy, with many responsibilities that influence the type of jobs we are able to consider. The expansion of our services has resulted in more jobs for carers as well as more varied work in different communities throughout Suffolk.
Our Hourly Homecare model provides further opportunities for a carer to work flexibly within a schedule that suits them. Offering full- or part-time healthcare assistant positions provides jobs for a wider demographic. We can offer part-time work to mothers with younger children, university students looking for weekend work, and carers looking to supplement their hours or income.
“This is a key point in developing our hourly branches. As the care industry changes, our Hourly Healthcare Assistants at Christies Care will benefit from the flexibility this role has to offer. The work-life balance and carer support available will help them manage their responsibilities more effectively and ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care without feeling overwhelmed.”
Ian Ibrahim (Head of Branch Development East Anglia)
Showing Commitment To Our Workforce
We have a commitment not only to our clients, but to our workforce as well. Our team – both office staff and carers – is the heart of our operation, and the quality of care that we provide could not be achieved without their dedication and passion for the work that they do.
Career Progression
Care offers many opportunities, and is a great way to build a career. Whether starting out after college or beginning a new career after 20 years, there will always be a place for you within the indusrty.
The knowledge, skills, and confidence you develop working in care, working to improve the lives of others, has a lifelong impact. These skills allow you to progress within the industry and are well sought after by all employers.
We understand the value of the work our carers are doing. At Christies Care, members of our marketing, recruitment, and training teams have started their journey with Christies Care as carers. Our live-in carer, Heather, attended her update training and at the back of her feedback report, she asked the question, “Are there ways to progress within my role?”
It so happened, a few weeks later – Katie, our Training Coordinator, who started her career as a carer, had recently been promoted to Registered Manager of our Stowmarket Branch. Our training team needed a new member. Heather, her feedback remembered by our training team, was considered and contacted to move forward with an official application should she be interested in the role. She was a great fit for the role, and we were able to offer a great carer a way to progress within an industry she has shown a passion for every day.
“In 2022 I decided to embark on a journey from South Africa to become a carer with Christies. After a year of working as a live-in carer, I seized the opportunity to join the Training Team! I love building my knowledge and implementing what I have learned.”
Heather Cadwick (Training Coordinator)
Training and Support
We invest in our workforce by providing industry-leading training and support. Our Training was awarded the Princess Royal Training Award in 2022. It is not only our carers who attend this training; all of our office staff are fully trained, enabling any member of staff to answer a call from a carer in a difficult situation and have the knowledge to assist them in the best way possible.
Due to the scarcity of carers, Care Development East has implemented healthcare assistant starting bonuses for those beginning a career in care, or for those returning to work as a care assistant after a break of two or more years. New and returning hourly healthcare assistants will receive a bonus of £750 after their first 12 weeks of work. This great incentive has multiple outcomes: it is a supportive way to kickstart a new career and it breaks down the stigma of working in care by granting carers the time to gain insight into the industry.
Maintaining mental wellbeing and supporting our staff and carers are fundamental to our values. In the last year, we ran sessions on mindfulness and yoga, held training sessions for our management team that addressed topics such as active and empathetic listening, giving and receiving feedback, and creating a diverse, inclusive, and healthy work environment.
Our caring team is supported throughout their career, from recruitment to career progression. By doing so, we are contributing to creating a sustainable workforce.
We continue to invest in our carers by providing industry-competitive wages, flexibility, opportunities for career progression, a 24-hour emergency support line, and by supporting carer wellbeing.
Creating An Ethos Of Care In Our Communities
We are proud to call Suffolk home. This is our community, and we are here to serve it to the best of our ability.
At Christies Care we feel that more comprehensive care can be given when our organisation is embedded in the communities within which we work.
Our community outreach allows us to provide useful information and resources about the support that is available to our clients in their local area. By equipping our local clients and carers with the knowledge required to access these services, everyone involved – including our clients, carers, families and friends – can benefit from the abundance of support that their Suffolk community has to offer them.
The roll out of hourly care into new areas of Suffolk allows us to provide services to more communities than before and to participate in these communities in a new way.
In early 2023 we employed Matt Gunns – previously a Care Coordinator with us – as our Community Engagement Officer. Matt strengthens our presence in the community by interacting with local organisations and charities, attending community events, and networking with local businesses in the area. This integration and interaction with local networks of people helps us to identify any gaps in care within these communities. Not only are we better able to address the needs of the community, we are able to show what caring for others is really about: Looking after our communities.
Our End Goal
These three aspects – expanding our services, investing in our workforce, and building community networks – are key to the ongoing evolution of Christies Care. In the face of shifting demands and a changing industry, Christies Care adapts to prioritise the care of both clients and carers.
The result of these adaptations and investments is a team of carers that provide an outstanding standard of care. This is exemplified by a testimony sent to us by the daughter of a client:
“We just wanted to let Christies know that we received some great service and care from Darren yesterday when he was caring from my father. He cared for Dad who was poorly, rang me to let me know, stayed with him until we got there, explained what had happened, giving me information to pass on to the doctor, and was very reassuring and professional throughout.”
Daughter of Client
We believe everyone deserves the best care possible and should have the option to continue to live independently in their own home. We also believe that the carers working to make this support possible should be valued and cared for within their place of work. Thus, as we evolve to meet the changing needs of the industry, we are committed to caring for both our clients and our staff.
We hope that through this work, we will be able to draw more people into the profession, showcase the opportunities care work has to offer, and truly benefit our communities as a whole.
