Huge rise in applications from people wanting to work as carers in Wigan during pandemic

That is the view of Yasmine John, chief executive officer of domiciliary care company My Care My Home, who has seen the number of applications for jobs in Wigan rocket over the past 11 months.

While she received 28 applications from potential employees in January 2020, last month she received a whopping 124 in the borough alone.

The firm also operates in Cornwall and south Wales and had more than 300 job applications in January, leading to a new recruitment officer being employed to sort through them.

Miss John said: “If anything positive could come out of this pandemic, and I know it has been extremely difficult for a lot of people, I would say it’s been around raising the profile of a career in care. All the press coverage for the NHS and key workers has really helped us. It has raised the profile of a career in care and it’s made people think twice.

“They are not just a carer, this is a career and there is job satisfaction. We are reviewing applications from individuals who would never have sent applications before.”

People from all walks of life, with a range of different skills, are coming forward.

Miss John said: “We have had mechanics, retired teachers, people who would never normally have applied for a job with a domiciliary care agency are contacting us, which is fantastic because we need that variety of people with different life skills.”

This range of transferable skills has proved to be vital, as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on other industries, where redundancies have taken place, has also led to people considering working in care.

Miss John said: “Unfortunately there has been a lot of redundancies and a lot of crises in other industries, like hospitality and retail, and these workers would fit in this kind of environment.

“Because people are at home and providing home schooling, they also are looking for a role that can be flexible around their personal, home and family life, and these sorts of roles definitely fit in well with flexible working.”

While other industries have cut staffing levels due to the pandemic, more and more carers have been needed to meet demand.

Staff at My Care My Home visit elderly and vulnerable people in their homes and provide any support they need, helping with daily tasks such as bathing, meals, household chores and medication.

The coronavirus pandemic has made their work even more important, as there are restrictions on people seeing their loved ones and concerns about them going into hospitals or care homes.

For some people, the carer could be the only person they see all day and that can make a huge difference to their well-being.

Miss John said: “We have seen a shift in the number of people receiving care at home. Those people who would normally have had care in hospital or respite in a care home, because they weren’t taking admissions we have had calls asking if we can help for two weeks as respite care, for example, or provide a live-in service for people who don’t want to go into a care home.”

The pandemic led to a lot of changes within the care sector and one issue was the workforce, as carers took time off with coronavirus or to self-isolate, like in other industries.

Some clients did not want carers to go into their homes for fear of catching the virus, but their support workers still went to visit them for a hot drink and a chat outside, to provide companionship and check on their welfare.

More technology was also used, with people supported to access video calling to contact their relatives, for example.

Staff wear PPE and measures are taken to ensure both the carer and the client remain safe.

Miss John is proud of the way the staff have adapted and continued to support people, led by Wigan’s branch manager Hayley Plant.

She said: “It’s been difficult but they have been excellent. They all have their own families and their own insecurities and at the beginning it was the unknown, but we offered lots of reassurance. We obviously had to increase things like risk assessments and all the staff have full PPE. We have supported staff as much as we can.”

There is also a light at the end of the tunnel, as while the elderly clients are being vaccinated against coronavirus, so are the staff - 50 per cent have already had the jab and the others have appointments booked.

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