“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m in care.”
People then look at me as though they are unsure if that’s a good thing or not. Sometimes it’s a pitying look. Then I smile and they ask ‘so what do you do?’ That’s when I tell them I am a care manger or care quality consultant depending on the context. Most times there’s relief that they’re talking to someone ‘professional’ and sometimes, I start interrogating them.
Does it make a difference that I am a manager? What would you have said if I was a support worker?
Reader – what are your thoughts about being a carer?
It infuriates me that the likes of panorama programmes have left the whole sector tainted, tarred with the same brush. Why does the press only publicise the bad? In some ways the fact that bad care stories are sensationalised actually shows that it’s not the norm. But because the sensational stories are what people remember, that’s the impression they get of the whole sector.
I started my nurse training in 1979, but for a while my registration lapsed because family circumstances meant I couldn’t complete the CPD hours. I was on an agency that supplied nurses and carers to our local hospital and as my registration lapsed, I went from being a nurse with the agency to being a carer with the same agency, going into the same hospital. Granted, not on the same wards but same location, same trust, same culture. It was an eye opener to the attitude our care workforce have to put up with. When I was a nurse, I entered a ward and was acknowledged – as a carer I was ignored. As a nurse I was spoken to with respect- as a carer I was spoken to harshly. As a nurse I was thanked – as a carer I was disregarded.
Over the years I have noticed things have not changed. I have re-registered, I have taken different roles in social care, but the foundation of the whole health and social care system is the wonderful multitude of dedicated carers and ancillary workers we employ. Without them the whole health system would crumble, and particularly so in social care. We shouldn’t have a two tier system. Admin in a care home should be as respected and valued as medical secretary in a hospital. Laundry assistant in a nursing home should be as respected and valued as the NHS theatre domestics.
Why then do we keep coming across people who feel sorry for you if you’re in a paid carer role? We need to remember it’s the minority that get a bad name for the majority. Let’s celebrate the dedication and enthusiasm most carers show their clients. Let’s work together to promote the professionalism of the whole workforce, no matter what role you are in.
Next time someone asks you what do you do – tell them you’re in care. Say it loud and proud. When they say what do you do, tell them you’re part of team that props up the NHS.