Here at Cavell Healthcare, we consider our team to be a wider family – we love working together and we work hard to generate a culture of trust, mutual support and respect. However, for some of the team here at Cavell Healthcare their colleagues actually ARE family.
As well as all being qualified carers with Cavell Healthcare, Charlene, Courtney, Michelle, JayJay and Dionne are all family. So we couldn’t resist getting them all together to find out what makes them tick…
It all started with Mum, Michelle, who was proud to be a stay-at-home mum to her four children for 21 years before she started to think about going back into employment. She was worried about whether she would get a job after such a long career break to bring her children up but her sister, Charlene, went for a job with a care provider and recommended it, so in fact they both ended up doing their training together.
Although she’s a proud mum of four and holds the family together, Michelle describes herself as lacking confidence, until, she says, she is with her clients…
“It’s wonderful being able to help our clients stay in their own homes. I honestly love this job and only wish I had done it sooner. I love helping people!”
Dionne, who is Michelle’s daughter-in-law, thinks this sums Michelle up – “she is such a mother hen”!
When she first started, Michelle preferred an early finish so she could be at home when her youngest got home from school but today she typically works around 30 hours per week in 3 long shifts as she prefers long days – “We are never in one place, so we are always seeing different people and travelling round the county. The day just flies by!”
Charlene, Michelle’s sister, agrees entirely “I love getting out and about – I really enjoy Norfolk and luckily I like driving, so I really don’t mind travelling from client to client. It’s a great way to get to see the countryside in between doing a job I genuinely enjoy.”
Dionne is the newest member of the family, having married Michelle’s son, and she is also the newest member of the Cavell family, joining the company just a couple of months ago – encouraged, of course, by her mother-in-law. She explains “I wanted a career that would fit around my young children, especially as my youngest is still in nursery. Cavell Healthcare are fantastic at working around the hours you are available and allocating shifts which suit your family life.”
Then there’s Michelle’s only daughter JayJay who has been a carer for five years. When she first started JayJay was worried about whether she had it in her to do the job. She says she was worried she would get attached and was scared about building a connection with someone who might deteriorate or pass away. She has since realised it is the connections, she loves the best as she loves spending time with her clients.
Last but not least is Courtney, Charlene’s niece, who has been with Cavell Healthcare for two years and was recently presented with the Cavell Healthcare Rising Star award. She says she loves getting out and about supporting clients throughout Norfolk and helping them stay happy and safe in their own homes.
We finished the interview with a quick-fire round of questions:
What’s the best thing about working together as a family?
Courtney – Understanding each other’s work, what it involves and how important it is.
JayJay – Being able to support one another. If we ever have a question or an issue, we don’t know the answer to, we have four close family members we can ask straight away!
What’s the worst thing about working together as a family?
Charlene – Being called by each other’s names!
Michelle – Getting us all together as a family – there’s always someone working!
What do you love about being a carer?
Courtney – It is so rewarding. We get to go out into the community every day and look after people so they can stay in their own homes. It’s a real privilege.
What is Cavell Healthcare like as a company?
Dionne – Really supportive. You get so much training before you go out with clients and even then, you are given a mentor so you can shadow someone before you have to do calls on your own. I was able to shadow Charlene, which gave me so much confidence.
Michelle – They will always try to accommodate when you are able to work.
Who is the head of the family?
All (including Michelle!) – Michelle!!
