A return to college and a desire to ‘give something back’ were the drivers which kickstarted Claire’s career in care. She is now Care Manager at our Bordon office where she oversees the day to day running of the office, manages a team of caregivers and ensures clients in Alton, Bordon and surrounding areas receive the very best of home care.
Explaining what led to her pursuing a career in care, Claire says: “In my younger years, I enjoyed supporting and caring for my nan so when I had the opportunity to return to education and train to be a social worker, I jumped at the chance.
“I graduated in 2011 and my first role was at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Hampshire. I was a team leader and worked there for 6½ years supporting family carers. I first saw the Right at Home Care Manager job advertised on Facebook. The role really appealed to me, so I applied and was delighted to be offered the job.”
Claire spent two years working at the Farnham office where she learned the ropes before moving to Bordon to set up a new Right at Home office at the end of 2019. Her role is highly varied, and no two days are the same. As Care Manager, Claire visits existing clients to find out how they find the service and new clients to carry out an assessment of their needs so that a suitable care package can be designed. She is also responsible for risk assessments, managing a team, networking with other local services and carrying out care calls when needed.
Patience, being non-judgemental and seeing the bigger picture are some of the qualities that Claire looks for when recruiting caregivers. She says: “Like everybody who works at Right at Home, I have very high standards when it comes to providing home care. Our services enable people to stay in their own home for longer and that is important.”
Claire manages what she describes as ‘an amazing team’. She says: “I have the pleasure of working with a really strong team who go above and beyond their availability to provide the best possible home care services. I’m always looking for more good caregivers to join our team, so please do get in touch if you are looking for a care job.”
It is with the support of her immediate team and the wider Right at Home family that Claire plans to fulfil her ambitions for the Bordon and Alton branch of Right at Home. She says: “I want to continue to grow and develop the home care services we provide for people who live in north East Hampshire whether that be end of life care, offering support to people with dementia or just offering a helping hand with personal care and day to day living.
For anybody who is thinking about enquiring about home care for themselves or a loved one, Claire says: “Please, just make that phone call. We can have a chat about what is involved, and it doesn’t matter if you decide it’s not quite for you at the moment. No question is a silly question and there will be no hard sell. I just want to help signpost people so they can find the very best solution for their needs.”
