SPONSORED CONTENT: Inspiring people who care with Parklands
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Parklands Care Homes has been caring for older people in the north for almost 30 years, and it’s expanding.
Parklands operates nine care homes in the Highlands and Moray and work is currently underway on a multi-million pound care hub in Inverness, its biggest ever investment.
To find out more about what it’s like to work in care, we spoke to several Parklands employees, some long serving, others relatively new recruits.
Claire Smith is an area manager for Parklands’ Moray homes and has worked for the company for over 25 years.
She joined Parklands as a carer, gained new skills and gradually took on more responsibilities. “I set myself goals, completing my SVQ qualifications whilst working as a carer and then moved into a shift leading role,” she says. Ultimately, she was promoted to manager at one of Parklands’ Buckie homes, before moving into her current area manager role.
She adds: “I felt supported by my employer and was very reassured by his passion to encourage staff to better themselves. I was never made to feel like I could not achieve anything I had applied for.”
Claire’s story is inspiring, but not unique. Many of Parklands’ current managers joined the firm as carers. One of them is Louise Gillies, manager of Speyside care home in Aberlour. Like Claire, she trained on the job and gained promotion – first becoming a shift leader and then a manager.
“Parklands senior staff have given me the confidence to progress and have supported me with my studies, enabling me to gain the knowledge, skills and experience needed for my current role,” said Louise, who has worked for Parklands for seven years.
She was initially nervous about working in the care sector as a relative novice. “One of my friends, who manages another care home asked if I would support her with some relief care work. I felt reluctant at the time, having not worked in care before. However, I loved every minute and have never looked back or wanted to do anything else since.”
Niamh Clark, a carer at Urray House in Muir of Ord, also joined Parklands with no previous care experience. That hasn’t held her back, however. “I started as a new carer with very little knowledge and learnt lots of great skills on the job working with experienced carers,” she says. “I now feel confident enough to show others how to perform in the role when they are starting out.”
Parklands currently employs around 700 people across the north in a variety of roles - managers, carers, nurses, shift leaders and ancillary support.
Whatever the role, everyone is encouraged to develop new skills. Louise says: “Parklands offers opportunities to develop and progress, their values stand out and really emphasise what we aim to achieve.”
Fiona Stoddart, an activities coordinator at Eilean Dubh in Fortrose, echoes that. “The support and development you get from Parklands is fantastic and they are always there to help you climb the ladder to better your career.”
Of course, working in the care sector isn’t without its challenges. The pandemic has been a difficult time for care teams, but morale remains strong. “I would emphasise how rewarding and fulfilling working in the care sector can be, that you can make a real difference to someone’s life,” says Louise. “I find helping people very satisfying and rewarding,” adds Claire.
Inspiring people who care – it’s been the Parklands story for almost three decades.
For a limited time, Parklands is offering cash incentives for new employees - £2,000 for new full time nurses and £250 for other roles. Terms and conditions apply. To find out more, visit www.parklandsgroup.com/careers
