Role: Healthcare Manager
Company: Acquaint Care Nursing and Domiciliary Care Agency
Track Record:
What does your job entail?
As the Healthcare Manager of a busy Nursing and Domiciliary Care agency it is my role to ensure that all aspects of the business are running smoothly and efficiently, and that a high quality service is being delivered at all times to both the clients who operate care homes, to our service users living in their own homes.
To ensure this I conduct a meeting every morning with the healthcare team to discuss any issues, (if any) raised during the oncall period whether this is after the weekend or simply the previous evening.
As a Healthcare Manager I always have my day/week mapped out to ensure that I am meeting with new clients to promote our service, and visiting existing clients to ensure they are happy with our continued service. I also meet with our Care Assistants and Nurses to ensure that they are content in their role and discuss any areas for personal development. I feel it is extremely important to touch base with all front line staff so that they realise they are a valued member of our ever growing team, after all if it wasn’t for our Care Staff and Nurses there would be no Acquaint Care.
I oversee all staff recruitment in the organisation too, as I wish to guarantee that all staff recruited share the same core values and high standards expected of all the Acquaint Care team. Staff are recruited and trained in line with RQIA minimum standards.
Our parent company Health Matters (Health and Saftey) Ltd deliver all training and inductions for Acquaint Care staff, ensuring that I can avail of high quality, ongoing training as and when required. The occupational Health Department carries out and oversees all Health checks for staff, we really have a very robust team!
As well as overseeing the day to day management of the office, it is also my role to continue to develop the business and acquire new contracts across the Healthcare sector both north and south of the boarder, expanding a new business has its’ challenges, but is always enjoyable!
Is it 9-5pm?
We have three office which are open 9am – 5.15pm Mon-Fri, but due to the nature of the business and our service users requirements, we operate a 24/7 oncall procedure so that our clients and staff can always contact a member of the Acquaint Care Team day or night.
How did you get into this line of work?
I have always worked within the Healthcare sector both hospital and community based so providing quality care has always come naturally to me.
Like a lot of recruitment professionals it was by a chance meeting with a Managing Director of a recruitment agency that led me into this particular profession.
Outline your career to date?
For the past several years I have worked for a number of Care Agencies and have progressed in my career from recruitment consultant, to Healthcare Manager. This experience has no only introduced me to many people who I now count as good friends, but has also equipped me with the skills and knowledge to join a business in its’ infancy, and with the help and support of my Managing Director, nurture and grow Acquaint Care into the success it is today, plus we are celebrating our 1 year anniversary!!
Tell us about your qualifications?
I studied A – Levels and attended Manchester Metropolitan University to study Psychology, which seems like a lifetime ago! However, more recently I completed CIPD Level 3 Human Resource Practice, and am currently completing Level 5 Leadership and management Diploma.
What qualities are required for your job – personal and professional?
I think to manage a successful team you have to have worked you way up through the ranks so that you have truly experienced all aspects of your organisation and how it operates. You have to have strong people skills and have a genuine passion to work in this industry as it isn’t without its’ challenges, it is important to support staff and clients that avail of our service.
Being an organised, multi-tasker is a must! Luckily, I am list making kind of person!
As I am always meeting new and existing clients, I feel it is important to have a genuine love for providing a good quality care service, after all you are asking organisations and families to trust that you will look after their loved ones to the highest possible standard.
What are the biggest challenges and rewards of your work?
Record keeping and paperwork is vital to meet the high standards and regulations set for nursing agencies and rightly so. Having a robust administration team ensures that we are able to meet these standards and regulations.
I also feel that meeting with and talking to our front line staff is so important, they are the people providing the direct care and have made the agency the success it is today.
The greatest reward is meeting the service users and their families and seeing the difference our service makes to their day to day lives, in many cases our carers are the only faces our service users see.
What do you do in your spare time?
Living in Castlewellan, I am fortunate to live in close proximity to both the beach and the forest park, so enjoy long walks with my dog. Being in this profession you realise how important it is to spend quality time with your friends and family while you can, this is always a favourite way to spend my spare time.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?
Last year and at the age of 34 I finally learned how to swim, only because I was going on honeymoon!
Who has inspired you most in your life?
I have met many inspirational people throughout my life, but I have to say that in general, the people who inspire me most are the ones who have the drive and vision to create their own business, have the strength to deal with the challenges they face as a result, but also have the ability to strike a work life balance, and genuinely enjoy their job.