We are looking for a lively, friendly, highly experienced, female local carer prepared to learn the routine we already have in place whilst joining a team of other carers to look after our bubbly, outgoing 38-year-old daughter, Jen. We work on a rota system which covers all days and waking nights of the week 24/7 including weekends. We need someone prepared to work day and/or night shifts and able to be flexible to cover holidays, sickness etc. Ideally you will be local to KT10, Surrey where we are based.
Jen finds change daunting and anxiety provoking - she therefore requires structure and routine. You must be calm, level headed, fun, intuitive and proactive, happy to work 1:1 and with other people such as friends and family around. The chronic pain which she experiences can often leave her in a depressed, frustrated and angry state if not managed appropriately. Jen requires positive but down to earth and realistic people around her who can help to bring the best out in her mentally!
Would suit a qualified carer with minimum of the mandatory training certificate plus manual handling and first aid or a nurse with experience in working 1:1 with a young person. Our daughter suffers many complex and rare conditions including Ehlers danlos syndrome, Gastroparesis, Cranial Cervical and Atlanto Axial Instability, Chiari malformation, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia, Chronic and severe, enduring pain, non-epileptic seizures. You would ideally have relevant experience or good knowledge of 1 or more of these conditions.
You will be expected to provide all personal care, medication administration including giving injections (recognised, suitable mandatory, in-house training to be given), seizure management alongside social companionship when my daughter is not asleep or having a friend or holistic therapist over, but also be able to read her cues to give her important space when she requires it. To be able to use a ceiling track hoist independently along with slings and slide sheets. To undertake light domestic duties including all laundry, medication, and medical supply stock checks. We expect our daughter’s home to be run as if it is the carer’s own home in terms of tidiness and cleanliness.
Jen lives in her own flat in Claygate, Surrey, where there is also suitable accommodation for a carer to stay with her at night. You will have your own room, in her lovely, sunny and bright flat in which to have privacy when on duty in down time. We live 15 minutes away where you may at times be asked to work, especially at weekends.
The ideal candidate will have:
a full, clean driving licence and be over the age of 21 to be able to take our daughter out when well enough in her insured mobility car.
Right to work in the UK
References from 2 people you have recently worked with (not from friends)
Clean DBS check (preferably from the online update service)
Full English passport
It is an occupational requirement of the job due to the personal care part of the job to be female. It is also a requirement that you have been fully covid and flu vaccinated - Jen is allergic to these vaccines so has not been able to receive them; she has already had covid 4 times, each time weakening her body that bit more. To this end you will also be required to wear PPE masks and scrubs when on shifts (we provide). Plus for as long as Lateral Flow Test’s are freely available for car from the Government for all of Jen's carers to test at least weekly before shift begins (we can help you obtain these).
It is also an occupational requirement that you speak fluent English to be able to communicate and understand Jen during seizures when her speech can be slurred or only 1 word.
You must be able to:
Be able to commit to a year contract – Jen is receiving palliative care and unlikely to survive longer than a year so we need continuity for this time.
Be physically fit with good levels of stamina to work 12 hour shifts – day and night, sometimes one after the other.
Due to Jen’s medical frailty, you must be prepared to wear PPE masks and scrubs and have high infection control standards including regular hand washing, wiping of surfaces etc.
In return we offer a good package of benefits from excellent salary rates compared with other carer jobs. Regular, mandatory training provided, statutory sick benefit, a pension and 28 days + 5 bank holiday days of holiday per year.
Our shifts are currently 12 hours long with days starting at 9:30am to 21:30pm and waking nights starting at 21:30 to 09:30 - hours could be slightly changed, so long as all shifts are covered and with our daughter is receiving 24/7 care we do not mind how the shifts are split up. We do not want live in.
We would prefer contracted staff but would consider Self employed for the right person.
End of March = ideal new starter date with compulsory injection training held in-house on the 28th March.
Please note that we cannot help with relocations, sponsorships or visas - must already be in the UK.
We are sorry but we will not able to reply personally to every application but we will be in touch with several suitable candidates to initially talk things through over the phone and then to set up face:face interviews and trial shifts. Good Luck!