There is no doubt that Helping Hands is a ‘people business’ operating in a ‘people industry’. Without the compassion and commitment of our Carers and the people that support them, Helping Hands would not be the successful company that it is today; still going strong 20 years after Mary Lee founded the business.
A family business
It can sound a little clichéd, but with Helping Hands it happens to be true; we are a family run business that runs like a family. From our MD, TimLee ,who cleaned clients’ homes and answered the phones for his mother Mary when home from University; to Sam Grabham, who now runs the Live-in department having started as a Carer in 1994; we’re all working hard to offer our clients the best possible service.
People people
All our people have something in common; from the Carers working out in the field, to the office based team, to our Trainers, we’re all ‘people people’; and whilst we like to think that we’re knowledgeable, professional experts in our field, we’re also caring, approachable individuals; we have to be, as this is a people business.
A support structure
As a Helping Hands Carer, you won’t be on your own. Every care package has a Live-in Care Manager running it. They act as another point of contact and resource for both the client and the Carer. The Live-in Care Manager ensures continuity of care; if the Carer is ill, or planning a holiday, it’s the Live-in Care manager that arranges cover. There are 10 regional Care Managers and Coordinators, so if you move around the country working on different care packages, it’s likely that you will work with different Care Managers from time to time.
As well as support from a Care Manager, Carers also have access to a dedicated phone line that is manned 24/7/365 for help and assistance; if you’re new to caring you will shadow an experienced colleague for an initial period as well as being assigned a mentor for the first 3 months of your placement.
Most of our office staff have experience as Carers, whether formally or informally with a family member, so everyone knows what it’s like when you start. That’s the beauty of a family atmosphere; there will always be someone on hand to help or answer a question.