Moving from London several years ago, RGN Nicky Chapell took a job as a bank nurse with the St Monica Trust as a stop gap until she could find something better.
A specialist in paediatrics and having left a management job in an independent children’s hospital, Nicky was looking for a career move that would again involve working with children. Just on her doorstep, John Wills House care home was, however, a convenient stop gap while she decided what to do.
"In all honesty I didn’t expect to like it," admits Nicky. "I’d never worked with elderly people before and I arrived with all the usual preconceptions of what it might involve, images of little old ladies sitting in rows. It couldn’t have been more different.
"It was less than a week into the job before I realised how much I really loved it. What a revelation! Two days as a bank nurse quickly became three days on contract then four. When the offer for the job I had been waiting for came through, I declined it and instead chose to work for the Trust full-time.
"If I had to put my finger on one thing that makes the job so special, it would have to be the return to what I call old fashioned ‘proper’ nursing, nursing where you can start a job and then finish it and feel like you’ve really achieved something.
"My previous experience has been that the further up the NHS you go the more you are removed from traditional nursing. It’s more about paperwork. In this job, I finally have the opportunity to put into practice my training and understanding. I’ve gathered a lot of different skills over the years and here I feel I can really use them.
"Most of all I love the fact that what happens when I am at work is my responsibility. Maintaining standards and quality of care on a daily basis falls directly to me and it’s deeply satisfying."
Nicky Chappell, Registered Nurse, John Wills House, Westbury Fields.
A night shift at The Russets and I’m in the kitchen, snuggled up in my dressing gown just as Margaret comes back out of her room. "Hello," I say, "I’m just getting ready for bed. Do you need anything before you go to sleep, a cup of tea maybe, or a biscuit?"
We decide on toast and marmite and I sit with her for ten minutes while she eats it. The first time I put on pyjamas to come to work was strange, but now I know it’s an important cue for residents living with dementia. It says more clearly than words that it’s time to sleep.
I love the night shift, you never know what to expect. There’s some routine. We make a plan to cover how many times to check on each resident, making sure they are dry and comfortable. Tonight is quiet with most residents in bed because they want to be, but Russell stays up until gone midnight doing bits and pieces to his vegetable garden.
I usually end my shift helping to prepare as much as possible for the morning team. Tonight was a bit different. I finished by singing to Jeanie. We looked at her wedding photo, I sang the wedding march and she let me help her get dressed.
Every day before work I think, "Great, here we go". If there’s any chance of any overtime I take it. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. I love it.
Mike - Support Worker, The Russets, Sandford Station.
More than ten years after joining St Monica Trust, Handyman Howard Wright is clear about which have been the best working years of his life.
"I love this job, I really do. Not many people can say they thoroughly and utterly enjoy what they do. I can."
Part of the maintenance team, Howard helps residents with repairs around the house, putting up a curtain rail or a shelf or a spot of redecoration.
"In the last five years we’ve really grown as an organisation, every step making things better for residents. Despite the changes, if you work here, no matter who or what you are, you really feel like you’re part of one big team."
"I get my satisfaction from making life for every resident as easy as possible. How couldn’t you feel good about that?"
Howard Wright – Handyman, St Monica Trust.
If you’d told to me when I was fourteen that I would end up working in elderly care I would have laughed out loud. Instead I chose a career in retail management. Fortunately for me, life isn’t always predictable. From the minute I left the shop floor and started at the St Monica Trust I’ve absolutely loved my job. I wouldn’t choose anything else.
Nursing my own mother before she died was an absolute revelation. It was life changing really. After that I knew I couldn’t go back to any other job.
Being a care assistant or senior care assistant here is such a rewarding experience, you get out of it everything that you put in. There are so many everyday occurrences that make it unbelievably special. Just getting someone to smile makes my day, watching a resident’s face as it lights up when I stop and sit for a minute or hold someone’s hand.
Even after sixteen years with the St Monica Trust, I don’t get that Monday morning feeling. Personally I feel really lucky to work in an environment where we have the opportunity to give each and every one of our residents so much high quality care. I think we all recognise how important that is and how it makes such a difference, not just to our residents’ well-being but to our own job satisfaction.
If I have a week off work, I know it sounds silly but I miss all the residents and I miss everyone I work with. Really the residents become like a second family, which might sound a bit sad to some people, but to me, when I come to work, is truly fantastic.
Jane Reynolds, Senior Nursing Care Assistant, John Wills House, Westbury Fields
The opportunity for self-development, along with encouragement and support from colleagues have together taken JB (Jabulani Nkomo) from care and support worker through to deputy care and support manager for the St Monica Trust in less than three years.
JB joined the Trust in 2006 at the opening of Monica Wills House in Bedminster. "It’s a job I’ve always loved, getting to know the residents, making friends, but at Monica Wills House it’s different. There’s a special bond between residents and fantastic support amongst all the staff, including the care and support team.
"But for me what’s been most special is the training, the chance to get on and develop myself. I’ve done so much training with the Trust, things you would expect, like my NVQ level 3, but also things you wouldn’t.
"I started and completed a Leadership and Management Development programme last year. I discovered a lot about the running of the whole organisation and the many different people who work within the Trust and are there to support you. It’s given me the confidence to take on new roles and progress.
"I’m still ambitious, still working to achieve my professional objectives and I’ve got my sights on the future. One day, maybe, I’ll be in charge of my own care facility."
JB, Deputy Care and Support Manager, Monica Wills House, Bedminster
Having started on work experience when he was only 16, now at 23, Gareth Cartledge is a full time employee, a Senior Chef, who regularly has responsibility for running the kitchen.
"I loved it from the minute I walked in," says Gareth. "Gary, the Catering and Production Manager helped me through my NVQ level 2 in just a couple of months and I've now got my level 3. I've even done a ‘Team leading award' from the Institute of Leadership and Management .I've been given lots of opportunity to develop my skills and have learnt loads from just being here in the kitchen."
"I've been really lucky because the Trust has expanded and I've progressed pretty rapidly. There's a great atmosphere here. This is definitely my perfect job."
NACC National Care Cook of the Year 2008, Gareth Cartledge.
With four years' experience in community recycling, Carrianne Freeman is the Trust's Health, Safety and Sustainability Co-ordinator, an appointment which demonstrates the Trust's commitment to evolving and delivering progressive environmental policies. She is responsible for taking forward a wide range of innovative environmental initiatives.
As someone who cycles to work every day, one of Carrianne's projects is to investigate ways of cutting carbon from work-based transport, examining ways to help us leave our cars at home and find alternative methods of travel. She's identifying how working practices can be made more sustainable through initiatives such as improved waste management, energy efficiency and staff training.
"Each small effort we make as individuals together adds up to a big change. My mission is to raise our environmental performance in line with the excellent standards we already achieve in delivering social care, through training and teamwork. It's a fantastic opportunity and everyone has been incredibly supportive in helping me establish myself quickly and effectively in this new role."
Health, Safety and Sustainability Co-ordinator, Carrianne Freeman.
For Andy Bohin, the driver of the Westbury Fields minibus, every day is about going the extra mile. His regular outings make a real difference to the quality of life for the Village residents.
"I like being out and about, not stuck in one place all the time," admits Andy, "but really what makes this job so great is the residents. There are so many real characters here. They love the outings, quite often telling me where they want to go. They are all different, so I take them shopping to different places."
"I've been working for the Trust as a porter and driver for almost 20 years now. This job is the best. It gives me a real sense of purpose. I wouldn't want to do anything else."
Westbury Fields Driver, Andy Bohin.
Those people that choose to volunteer frequently do so towards the end of their career, often once they have retired. Shirley Hesketh breaks the mould as a regular volunteer at the St Monica Trust while still in her early thirties. With an established academic career, known for her research into the causes and implications of stress, Shirley was keen to find another way to put her considerable skills and knowledge to good use, and as a result has reaped unexpected rewards.
Shirley says, "I visit the Trust just once a week but volunteering has transformed my whole outlook on life. I really feel appreciated by the people I befriend and by the care teams who work alongside. Each day is different. Today I have been arranging flowers and helping a resident complete some forms. Afterwards we had a lovely lunch in the restaurant and took a stroll around the garden. Every time I come I learn more about myself and I also feel I can better understand the needs of my older friends"
Volunteer, Shirley Hesketh.
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