A sincere thank you to each and every one of you on Employee Appreciation Day 2021

As we mark Employee Appreciation Day 2021 and as I reflect on the year that has passed, I am more grateful than ever for the care assistants and support workers that represent our agency and say a sincere thank you to each and every one of you. In December I had the unique opportunity to support a client by transporting myself from my role; MD of ENS, a recruitment, training and care provider, to the front lines working as a carer and temporary manager of a residential care home. Like a number of care homes, the new UK variant meant that there was a period when due to the COVID rules not a single permanent member of the care home’s staff was permitted to be physically present to support the residents who also had COVID. For this client it was unfortunately Christmas week. My role was to be the liaison between the team of agency nurses and carers who worked tirelessly at the home and the management who knew the residents but couldn’t be present, as well as to assist with care. I was in awe of the carers who arrived and provided excellent care for people they had never met and who couldn’t verbally communicate their needs, while at the same time learning to use the electronic care system and working side by side with other carers they had never met before.  Despite the challenging circumstances, the entire team showed compassion and kindness to all the residents and each other.

I am grateful to carers who take care of the people we support like they are part of their own family.  I am grateful to those who take initiative, do a multitude of jobs and are happy to help with anything. I am grateful to the people who work the night shift and do mountains of laundry, sterilize all of the dishes and who deep clean every surface to make sure the home is ready for the next day. I am grateful to the carers who have to work entire shifts in masks, visors, gloves and aprons. I am grateful to the nurses and carers who safely give medication and who identify when ambulances should be called and who greet people returning from hospital and settle them back late in the evening.

There are many moments of joy amidst the hard work. It brought me joy to feed someone who is bedbound, non-verbal and wouldn’t eat lunch but enjoyed every bite of the Christmas pudding I fed her.  It brought me joy to help someone who was in danger of dehydration drink a whole beaker of juice. I have walked in your shoes for just an instant and on Employee Appreciation Day I sincerely thank you all for the hard and meaningful work you do.  Your dedication and commitment to those most in need is an inspiration to us all.