Jenny McDonald has worked for Manchester Primecare for the last year and her manager, Kam Ahmed, has credited her with helping the organisation get a GOOD in their recent CQC inspection. Kam told us that Jenny goes that extra mile for all her clients and supports with office work as well. She has picked up work on her days off and never lets a client go without care. Jenny supports clients with attending hospital appointments, shopping and household tasks and the feedback from clients have been really positive as well. Kam describes her as a great carer and an asset to the company.
What was your reaction to winning CareLineLive’s Feburary Star Carer Award?
I was pretty shocked. I didn’t know I had been entered. I work at Manchester PrimeCare every day and I knew he was up to something when he asked me into the office. I’d have been embarrassed being presented with the trophy with everybody there.
What aspects of being a carer do you enjoy?
I love it all. It’s my world being able to help people who can’t do things for themselves. I do try to enable people to do things for themselves though so I’m not taking all their independence away.
I started as a carer in going back to work full time when my kids were teenagers – it felt really good to be doing something different.
I work with five different clients at the moment and another one due to start soon. A couple are personal care, others are making a cups of tea and chatting with them. I do cleaning and shopping for them as well as odd things like hospital visits. I also help with new carers shadowing me with clients.
The job is not about the money, it’s about making sure our clients are all right
How does CareLineLive’s Carer Companion App help in your job?
I find it easy to use. Instead of driving paperwork back to the office we save on that travel time.
Kam says that my work in the community has contributed to our CQC rating. I’m not entirely sure what I did personally to help there but keeping the client records up to date on my side is important.
What are the challenges in your job?
We can get clients having a bad day so we try to cheer them up and make it easier for them. One lady at the moment is very demanding – she wants us to do everything rather than doing it herself. Sometimes it’s just easier to keep the peace but I do think it’s important to try and encourage their independence where they can.
How do you switch off after a hard day at work?
I tend not to switch off even on holiday – I even message when I’m away. When another carer rings I’m wanting to help them out. My dad had vascular dementia when he was alive so I was always rushing back to their house to help out. It’s hard to switch off.
