Clare Parnell has been with Extra Hands for four years, starting out as a carer and now working as a rapid response carer.
I’ve always worked in the care industry – for 28 years I’ve been working in hospitals, community care and homes, so when I moved to the area I was keen to keep that up. I tried working in a few homes but I wasn’t entirely happy and felt that the community really was where I should be working instead.
Wherever I went and talked about work options, the name Extra Hands came up, so I decided to go and find out more about them. As soon as I walked in, straight away, it was a really positive, friendly and supportive atmosphere,
Right from the outset you were really made to feel welcome, and the training was really in-depth. It couldn’t have been better, and everyone I encountered at every level was willing to help out and make you feel part of the team. I knew I’d made the right choice.
Initially I was working as a care visitor, which involved making regular visits to service users and looking after their needs. After my experience working in homes, this was so much more suited to what I wanted to get out of the experience, and I got huge job satisfaction from knowing that the users were getting the level of care that they needed, and that our visits were making the quality of their lives better. If the users are happy, then I’m happy, and everyone is getting what they need out of the relationship.
Being a carer is what I do best. I’ve moved up a level now to being a rapid response carer, which means I’m looking after setting up care packages, reviewing existing ones to know that they’re supplying what they need, doing first visits to get new users into the service, and also being involved with the carers, checking that they’re happy with what they’re asked to do.
Extra Hands is a family run business and always has been, and I think that’s a big part of what makes it such a success, and why it’s grown so well. It really feels like it’s part of the local community. As an employee, what makes it a good place to work is that so many people have such a positive attitude. It’s a remarkable supportive environment; whatever the situation or challenge you’re facing, you always know you’ve got someone behind you who can support you, and who will support you.
I'm very happy to be part of the Extra Hands family. As long as I know that the people who are using our services are happy, then things are going well, and the fact that so many people who are with us as employees and as care users stay with us tells you all you need to know. Why would you want to go anywhere else to anyone else?
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