Preston care home work urges others to join profession during national Careers Week.

Health Care Assistant, Gemma Webster, reflects on her rewarding career in care and encourages others to consider taking up the profession.

Gemma began her career in social care six years ago and last year she joined the team at Ribble View care home in Preston, which specialises in supporting younger adults with complex needs.

Over the years, Gemma has become a keen advocate of the positive aspects of care work and is now urging others to consider working in the sector.

Gemma, Ribble View

She said: “Before Ribble View, I worked in a residential care home supporting older adults living with dementia. I loved this role, but after five years, I was ready for a new challenge."

Ribble View supports adults living with complex mental health needs and physical disabilities. It’s classed as a ‘nursing home’ as it offers a higher level of care than a care home and has qualified Nurses on-site.

Gemma’s responsibilities as a Health Care Assistant vary.

She added: “As a specialist nursing home, we often have six or seven Health Care Assistants on each unit. This gives us the time to spend with people and you really get to know them.

“My favourite thing about my role is that we have the time to engage people in the activities that they want to do, especially outside of the home. The people I work with are younger adults, and they’re really active and want to get out and about.”

And it’s not just the residents that Gemma’s built a great connection with, it’s her colleagues too.

“There’s a great team at Ribble View and I’ve made friends for life. We all work together to make sure the home is a fun place to live and work.

“I’ve never worked in a place where I’ve felt so included.

Gemma said: “There are plenty of opportunities for training, for instance I’ve just had my annual review and have expressed an interest into becoming a Senior Health Care Assistant.”

Exemplar Health Care’s Ribble View, located on Church Avenue in Preston, is currently recruiting Health Care Assistants and Registered Nurses.

National Careers Week takes place from March 7-12