KATRINA Broster from Connah’s Quay in Wales has been supporting the elderly and vulnerable after she was recruited by an award-winning care company during the coronavirus pandemic (August 2020).
The 38-year-old joined Abacare in March, just after the lockdown was announced, and the company says she is already helping make a difference to the service users she looks after.
She said: “After being made redundant from my previous job of nearly nine years, I felt so lost. I had no idea what to do with my life. I was talking to my family and found out my cousin, Heidi Williams, works for Abacare based in the Bangor offices.
“She told me I would be really good in this role and said Flint had some vacancies. So, I took a leap of faith and applied, and I am so glad I did. I love working in care and I have been made to feel so welcome and valued, and an important part of the team.”
Katrina previously worked at Carphone Warehouse as a Territorial People Coordinator before joining Abacare.
She has been married to for 12 years and has two boys, aged 10 and 11-years-old. They enjoy going to Comic Con events as a family every year and making their own costumes.
Katrina also enjoys playing video games in her spare time and catching up with friends and family as often and safely as she can.
Tracey Webster, Registered Manager at Abacare, which has offices in Flintshire and provides care in the surrounding areas, said: “At the beginning of the pandemic we launched a major campaign to recruit new carers to look after our elderly and vulnerable service.
“We were already providing excellent levels of care and helping to alleviate pressure on the NHS by providing frontline care to service users in their own homes.
“We were able to fast track our recruitment process and we were thrilled to have Katrina come on board with us. She has only been with us since March but has become a real treasured member of the team and has provided care and reassurance to everyone she looks after. She came from a retail background but this wasn’t a problem, as the skills needed, such as excellent customer service, can easily be transferred between industries.
“It’s been a very uncertain and worrying couple of months and Katrina has really shone in her new role.”
Abacare operates a professional Care Management Team that is committed to providing high quality care to individuals in their own homes.
The large team of trained, specialist, care workers provide positive based outcomes and person-centred care to people throughout Wales.
Abacare’s core values, instilled into every staff member, include ‘make us proud’, ‘focus on our service users’ wellbeing’, ‘communicate, listen well and speak with respect’, ‘be passionate, honest, caring and considerate’, ‘recruit and develop the very best’ and ‘lead by example’.
It believes it offers inspiring work for inspirational people as well as a flexible and supported working environment.
Tracey added: “We are looking for other kind, honest, caring and reliable individuals like Katrina, who wish to have a stable and long-term career in care, and who would like to forge rewarding relationships with the service users they care for. No experience is necessary to become a carer, as free, full training is given.
“We can provide our free, full training on a fast-track basis to make sure everyone we take on is ready. This includes a company induction, first aid, information on dementia, health and safety, food safety, infection control, handling medication and moving and handling service users, with the opportunity to achieve Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) after the initial three months probationary period. The Government has also taken steps to ensure a quicker turnaround on DBS checks, so people can get into work quicker.
“New recruits are given free uniforms, access to national staff discount scheme for all major brands as well as 28 days paid holiday, paid travel between calls and paid mileage.”
Anyone interested should call the Flintshire branch on 01352 870671 or send a message via its Facebook page at http://bit.ly/2PiYR7v.
Abacare is a member of the United Kingdom Homecare Association, Ceretas (formerly British Association of Domiciliary Care), The National Homecare Council and The Information Commissioners Office (Data Protection). It is also registered with the Care Inspectorate Wales.
For more information or to enquire about a position at Abacare, please visit www.abacare.org.uk or www.indeed.com/cmp/Abacare. Alternatively, please follow the company on Facebook at http://bit.ly/2PiYR7v or on Twitter by visiting www.twitter.com/visitabacare.
