New appreciation for our frontline staff
Russell Allford
Russell is normally our Head of Building Compliance. With the coronavirus pandemic, his role changed as he volunteered to work at Greenacres, our care home in Sutton Coldfield.
He tells us about his experience and how it's given him a newfound respect for frontline care staff.
In my usual role, it’s not unusual for me to work in services. Initially, I was a bit concerned about what I could actually do for them, as I wasn’t sure what I was going to be asked to do.
But I thought, if there’s something I can do for them in their hour of need, I’ll go for it.
Since working at Greenacres I’ve got a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff in our services.
A better understanding of how our services operate
In a typical situation, I work with the Service Manager or Maintenance team but I don’t get to learn everything about a service. This experience has given me some enlightenment on who’s involved in what.
I’ve also got a better understanding of myTAG, the health and safety software system we use. I’ve now seen it from our services’ perspective.
I usually use myTAG from the other side, to check things have been done. Seeing it from both sides; I can see the issues that people in services might have when using it and that’s really useful.
The commitment and dedication of our frontline staff
Being redeployed has been a real eye-opener. When I visit a service in my usual role I'm not normally there for a long time. Being there for a full day now gives me more clarity and appreciation of what frontline staff do.
From the cleaners and cooks to the carers and Service Manager, it's been great to see how committed and caring they are.
Support from the team has been invaluable
The team at Greenacres are a happy bunch. It rubs off on you. You can’t help but smile sometimes. Neil Smith, the Service Manager, is really good and put me at ease when I first arrived.
He ran me through the routine, guided me on where things are and what to do, which was useful. I've had such great support. Spending time in services has given me a new perspective. I'm really grateful to the team at Greenacres and for their dedication to the people we support.
Protect our carers with PPE
We are doing all we can to stop the spread of coronavirus, save lives and keep people safe. More equipment to protect our carers is urgently needed.