Care Professional of the Year 2023 (1)

2023 has presented us with various challenges that we have faced so far, and we have supported our clients through some very difficult times. But 2023 has also provided opportunities where our Care Professionals have been able to demonstrate their creativity, dedication and commitment to their clients and Home Instead and we want to celebrate the wonderful work that our Care Professionals do.

At Home Instead Sheffield and Barnsley, we’ve been thinking about which of our wonderful Care Professionals we would like to nominate for the annual Home Instead Care Professional of the Year awards. This is based on the values we all share and how our Care Professionals share those values with our clients. The commitment and passion our Care Professionals show, in the way that they work with our clients and support each of our offices, is truly helping us expand the world’s capacity to care and change the perception of working in care.

For Home Instead Sheffield North, we’ve chosen Care Professional Tanya as our Care Professional of the Year 2023.

Eventually, Tanya found help from Zest; a community support centre in Sheffield. Amongst their wide range of work, they support unemployed people to secure job interviews, guiding them through the process – every step of the way. This is where she was introduced to Home Instead, when we were holding a ‘Working in Care Workshop’ at Zest.

On arrival at the recruitment event, we were remember being warmly welcomed by one of the attendees, Tanya. She explained that her English was not perfect and that she had moved here recently. She was so kind and caring, making us a hot drink and talking to us. Once the recruitment event started, we explained about the Care Professional role, to which Tanya was happy to share her story. As she spoke of the awful experience of leaving home, the room was in tears, awestruck by her bravery and resilience.

She started by telling us about the war in Ukraine and how she had sadly had to leave for the UK. She told us about the panic, fear and trepidation she felt as she left her home behind. Sad and worried about the future, she had no choice but to leave. In her home country, she was a highly skilled worker and in addition to this a mother, carer and wife.  Upon entering the UK, she told us that many employers had rejected her, with her employment coach also present confirming this. Tanya had no understanding as to why she would not be a match, feeling dejected. She wanted to work, to help others.

Although Tanya didn’t drive, we knew that if she could manage to get herself from the Ukraine, then she could get herself around Sheffield. So, we did not let that barrier stand in our way of supporting her. We could see in a short space of time how dedicated, caring, compassionate, and strong Tanya was. We talked to her about the role, how we would support her, and how she would be very welcomed by our team, our Home Instead family. So, we set up an interview…

Tanya aced the interview and when it was confirmed that she was successful she had tears in her eyes, as did we.  It was a heartwarming moment to share, to give an opportunity to an incredibly brave and amazing lady.

When recruiting, it is easy to say no based on the perfect match for the needs of a business.  At Home Instead Sheffield and Barnsley, we recruit based on values. Our meeting with Tanya is one we are so grateful for, and proud of and we will always look at the person behind the application form.

Tanya attended RAP training and the second everyone met her you could see what a kind, gentle and caring lady she was. Tanya always has a smile on her face and is willing to go that extra mile to help people; her main passion is focusing on the wellbeing and support she gives to her clients.

Since starting, she has supported her clients to live safe and well, cheered them up, and delivered support with passion and empathy.

Tanya was desperate for some work to support herself and her family and was absolutely determined to prove herself as a valuable asset to our team.

However, Tanya’s first language is not English, so, again, instead of letting this barrier stand in her way, the office team spent a lot of time with her to support her to the learn how to use our IQ app. This included reading care plans and schedules, and even translating the system into Ukraine so that she could get to grips with it.

Once Tanya was trained up and introduced to the systems and team, we began by building up a little run for her to start with where she could walk between her clients. She even walked for nearly an hour to get to one client when a call went down, when we could not cover it with a driver! She wanted to help and never said no to any request made, she was so grateful to Home Instead for giving her the opportunity to help people in their own homes and earn a living.

Tanya stepped into her new role as a Care Professional with no previous experience and gave 110%. She overcame the language barrier and worked hard outside of work as well as in work to develop her understanding of the English language

How Tanya supports her clients

Tanya works about 20 hours a week and supports several clients.

One gentleman she cares for lives with dementia and, since she’s started with him, his condition has quickly deteriorated, leading him to become much more complex and challenging. However, Tanya always remains calm and consistent in her approaches, persevering in order to develop a trusting relationship with him. When the client’s family decided to increase support on an evening, Tanya wanted to cover the calls – although it meant she had to walk to get to his calls late on an evening, but she did so because she wanted to ensure that he received the support he needed to keep living at home independently. Tanya’s calming nature meant that she had the most success in assisting this gentleman with his changing needs.

Another client of Tanya’s is a lady who receives companionship care and meal support from Home Instead. During a recent review with the family and client, they could not praise Tanya highly enough, quoting that ‘Tanya is lovely, she is kind and caring and always talks to me, reassuring me. Tanya is my favourite’.

Tanya also supports a lady with complex breathing issues. Despite having never supported a client with needs like this, she again took this in her stride and worked with the client to build confidence and assist her daily needs. Tanya walks for over 40 minutes to get to this lady’s calls and is always willing to step in and cover when needed to ensure that this lady has consistent support. This was not an easy package to staff, but Tanya persevered once more.

Having excelled with this client, Tanya was then introduced to another client who had complex breathing issues. The lady had assistance with personal cares and companionship support. Tanya supported the client and her husband over a period of time to gain their trust which enabled her to provide the bespoke service Home Instead offer. She did this with care, sensitivity, and compassion. However, the clients condition sadly deteriorated and developed into end-of-life care, which can often be a destressing time for any Care Professional. However, Tanya didn’t let this affect her ability to care for the client, who she clearly cared so deeply about. She supported this lady through the last weeks of her life, often walking to her calls late in the evening. She was truly inspirational, a credit to our Sheffield North team and has been a true diamond to find.

Speaking with the care team who work with Tanya, we can see just how much she is valued by Home Instead:

“The background story on Tanya is truly special. What I know is she travelled from the Ukraine during the troubles and managed to get herself to the UK and travelled to Sheffield. That’s outstanding in itself during such a traumatic time.

Ever since joining the team, she has been a dedicated member of the team, gaining great reviews and feedback from clients and their families. She always goes that extra mile to help the team and support her clients, nothing is too much trouble for Tanya. Her natural passion for caring for others is evident in her wonderful smile, she’s a joy to work with so it’s no wonder her clients love her”

– Tracey Howson, Care Manager at Sheffield North