Here at Halland House, we like to think of ourselves as a close-knit family, and supporting our care staff is important to us. There are a number of ways in which we do this, from training to encouraging sharing hobbies.
1. We’re a family
You won’t find any staff uniforms here at Halland House, just one example of how we work as a big family rather than staff and residents. For the people who live here, it’s important that they think of the place as home, and we want that to be true for the people who work here, too. The staff all support each other, meaning no one is left alone to fend for themselves.
2. Sharing interests
We always have lots of activities going on here at Halland House, and we encourage team members to come up with ideas and help residents with activities they have an interest in. One example is our amateur dramatics group, which put on two plays each year. We have a staff member who writes the plays, using their talent for playwriting to create suitable roles for those who want to take part.
3. Communication training
Communication is something that many people with learning disabilities find difficult, so we provide lots of training in different methods of communication. Makaton is one example, a language composed of words, signs, and symbols. Our staff members love learning to better communicate with residents because it means they can help them to lead better lives and express themselves.
4. Opportunities for advancement
We also offer other types of training for our staff when needed. We help people to get the qualifications they need to progress in their careers and try to promote people within the home where possible. Continuity of care is particularly important for people with learning disabilities, who react better to seeing the same faces and knowing their support network well. For this reason, we do everything we can to encourage our staff to stay with us long-term.
5. A culture of care
We do our best to foster a culture of care here at Halland House, not just for the residents but for the staff too. Everyone works together and supports one another. People make close friends and our staff say that it doesn’t feel like coming to work, but coming to a second home. We try to keep an open, transparent avenue of communication to ensure everyone is happy in their roles.
6. Showing appreciation
Everyone needs to feel appreciated, so we show our appreciation for our team in various ways. We also make sure they know how appreciated they are by the families of our residents. We often receive lovely cards and letters from family members, full of compliments about our staff, which we copy and put on display for everyone to see.
7. Covid support
During the pandemic, everyone needed some extra support so we did everything we could to make sure everyone was safe. We ensured necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) was available and that staff members had training in using it. Management gave extra support where needed, making sure everyone was following the guidelines correctly. We also made sure staff had specific Covid-19 training and knew what to do should anyone contract the disease.
8. Memorial garden
With many long-term residents, we do sadly have to see people pass away sometimes. This can be hard for staff members who were close to the person and thought of them like family, so we offer support where needed to deal with bereavement. We have our own memorial garden, a peaceful place where family and staff can spend time thinking about residents who have passed on. Sometimes they will get together and share memories, helping each other through their grief.
Careers
If you are interested in working at our learning disabilities care home in Uckfield, East Sussex, visit our website to find out more about the opportunities available.