What training do i need to become a carer? With an ever-ageing population, more and more people will rely on health and social care professionals to help them in later life, whether at home, in a residential care home, day care centre or any other scenario. Older people’s care needs are diverse and increasingly complex – ranging from chronic illness, dementia and palliative care alongside mobility and mental health issues.
Health and social care professionals are a vital link to help a person maintain their independence, dignity and live in a happy and healthy manner. The social sector in the UK has 1.48 million employees. By 2030, the sector will have an additional half-a-million extra jobs According to who?
With the demand for health and social care services increasing in the UK, caring is now a profession that many of us can now consider. Locally based opportunities, along with the potential for flexible working hours to fit around family life are attractive to many. A job in social care also provides a huge amount of job satisfaction – making a difference to another person’s life is invaluable and so rewarding as a career.
Employers are often looking for what we call ‘soft skills’ in addition to qualifications. These personal attributes are just as important as technical healthcare training. Interacting with clients all day requires a specific type of a person, for example, being confident in your persona will help build that essential level of trust with your client which is so important in the healthcare industry.
First and foremost, the ability to put clients at ease in what is sometimes a difficult situation for the client (accepting that you need help from a healthcare professional) is invaluable. Other important skills include, patience, kindness, and the ability to think quickly on your feet while having empathy with the situation a client is in. As clients often need the help of a healthcare professional, they also desire that their dignity is maintained.
Having a sense of humour, good listening skills and respecting a client’s wishes plays a huge role in delivering care and support and managing these situations tactfully is a great skill. Finally, punctuality, many clients will need you to turn up when you say you will. As a healthcare professional who visits a client in their own home, you will often be their lifeline to keeping their independence for as long as possible.
If this is a career you are interested in, Coral & Reed Ltd provides training to carers and nurses and can help with your training needs. We are a specialist training company that provides mandatory and statutory health and social care training to nurses and carers. Our courses are highly interactive, packed with situation-based scenarios leaving a fun and positive learning experience. All our learning resources and training materials meet CQC requirements, Skills for Care and Skills for Health standards. Please visit our ‘face to face courses’ section in our website for further information on how we can help you further your health care career.
