How Kate went from P.E Teacher to Training and Support Team Leader and discover her journey with Home Instead over the past seven years.
The home care industry can be a demanding, but incredibly rewarding field. It’s a career that requires empathy, resilience, and the ability to support individuals through challenging times.
Our Training and Support Team Leader and Care Professional, Kate, has a unique dual role which sees her in the office and out and about visiting clients. Discover her insights into the role as she shares her journey over the last seven years with us.
Kate’s path into the care industry was not a traditional one. After studying Sports Science at University, she went on to do her PGCE to become a P.E Teacher at a secondary school for 14 years. Fancying a change, her mum, who worked for the NHS with mentally ill patients, inspired Kate to explore the possibility of working in care. “My mum always encouraged me to get into care” Kate explains. “She told me how rewarding it is and urged me to give it a go when I fancied a change in career.”
Kate’s career took a dramatic turn during 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The care industry was hit particularly hard as a lot of clients who receive regular home care tend to be elderly or unwell, making them a lot more vulnerable to the severe effects of the virus.
Care Professionals were key workers, meaning that they couldn’t comply with social distancing or work remotely. “It was a really challenging time” she recalls. “We didn’t just have to wear our usual PPE consisting of gloves and aprons, we also had to wear goggles, masks and visors when visiting clients, some of whom had COVID themselves.”
Despite these challenges, Kate remained dedicated to her role, finding ways to support her clients and fellow team members during the difficult period. Kate explained how they had to adapt to the changes quickly to ensure everyone was safe, while still providing the outstanding rated care that her clients needed. “It was a difficult time but it brought us closer together as a team.”
Kate explained that the office split into two ‘bubbles’ in two locations so that if one got infected, the other could still operate and provide 24/7 assistance to the Care Professionals and Clients.
Kate discovered a real passion for care and wanted to grow in her role. Home Instead Exeter and East Devon were able to support her with this and sponsor her to complete her Level 3 RQF diploma in Adult Health and Social Care. Kate also went on to complete her Parkinson’s training which consists of a three-day course and an assessment at the end. Kate is now qualified to teach others about Parkinson’s.
Rachael from the office in the Training and Support Team told me about a new role that was being introduced on her team. The General Manager, Laura, had observed Kate and thought she would be ideal for the role. “They invited me for an interview, offered me the job and here I am today!”
In her current role, Kate works closely with the new Care Professionals once they have finished their initial training, helping them to develop their skills and confidence and complete their Care Certificates. Once the Care Professionals have completed all of their shadow visits, Kate goes out to complete their first solo visit. Ensuring that they are confident and knowledgeable. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see the new Care Professionals grow and succeed in their roles, especially knowing that they’ll be providing such important care to our clients.”
Kate also completes the Care Professionals medication sign-offs. This involves Kate shadowing the Care Professionals on a visit to a client and witnessing how they apply creams, administer tablets or use equipment such as a hoist. She has a one-to-one meeting with the Care Professionals at 6, 12, and 16 weeks where they work through their Care Certificates together. Achieving a Care Certificate involves completing modules, passing supervision, and answering support questions. At 11 weeks they are observed by Kate in the client’s home to see how competent they are and to ensure they are confident and happy.
Kate believes that a good Care Professional is empathetic and has a good understanding of their clients’ wants and needs. “They should have a friendly disposition and a willingness to smile. It’s the little things, like showing you care, that makes a difference to someone’s day.”
Good communication is also vital Kate explains. “Clients need to know that they have been heard and Care Professional’s need to make good use of the support network that they can rely on.”
Over the years, Kate has witnessed the growth and development of many Care Professionals. She’s always eager to help if they need any support. She recalls a particularly unsure individual who was new to the care industry and lacked initial confidence in her role. “She was unsure of herself at first, doing all the right things but was quite nervous. I kept in contact with her as much as possible during the early days. After her first solo visit, I sent her a praiseworthy because she did such an amazing job. I met with her at 20 weeks to see how she was getting on.”
It’s so important to let our Care Professionals know that they are doing a good job and that it’s okay to ask for help. We are a friendly bunch and are on call 24/7 for our Care Professionals and Clients. We have just won the WorkBuzz 5 star employers award for the 9th year running based on the wonderful feedback from our Care Professional’s, ensuring that Home Instead Exeter and East Devon is a lovely place to work.
Home Instead Exeter and East Devon sponsors their Care Professional’s and Office Team Members to complete their level 3 & 4 RQF’s in Adult Health and Social Care and their level 5 in Leadership and Management. We provide all of our Care Professional’s with a personal development plan which follows them throughout their time with us. They set targets and work hard to achieve them. They can request to do training in other areas such as Parkinson’s or peg feeding. Recently, we hired the Autism Reality Experience Bus from Training2Care for our Care Professionals who support Clients who are Neurodiverse. We like to ensure our team have a career with us, not just a job.
From the early days in the classroom to her current role supporting Care Professionals and Clients, Kate’s journey is a testament to the importance of communication, passion, empathy and continuous innovation in the care industry. As she reflects on the last seven years, Kate is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of the Clients she supports and the Care Professionals she works with every day.