Good care at Bradbury House: Edith's story

Contributing to good care and celebrating social care workers

As a Care Home Manager, Edith's focus is always on the individual residents. She works to ensure that all services are caring, responsive, effective, safe, and well-managed. With 30 years of experience in the care sector, she understands that building a strong community, working collaboratively, and fostering positive relationships are crucial for providing excellent care.

Edith believes in leading by example: "As a manager, it's important to be visible and available. I want to set a good example, recognise best practices, and offer support through mentoring and coaching. I'm also ready to 'muck in' and help out wherever needed. I continue to provide one-on-one support with all aspects of care when it's needed. This helps me better understand our residents and ensures their voices are heard and they feel listened to."

Good Care Month celebrates social care workers, and Edith emphasises the importance of this recognition. While most care staff are passionate about their work, she acknowledges that there are often misconceptions about the job.

"We can sometimes focus on the negatives instead of celebrating daily successes," Edith notes. "Here at Bradbury, we prioritise a positive culture. Recognising staff commitment, especially when they go above and beyond, is vital. This could be a simple 'thank you' for a job well done, acknowledging how they handled a difficult situation and what was learned, or broader recognition from the organisation itself. This kind of support boosts staff morale and acknowledges their hard work. We have many long-serving staff members, and I'm sure they'll be with us for many more years."

Proud moments and promoting careers in care

Edith shares that she feels she's "part of something special" with Abbeyfield and explains, "During my induction, I found a strong support network across all departments. We have regular internal meetings with residents, their families, and carers, as well as reviews and partnership working with commissioners and stakeholders. I'm proud to be contributing to Abbeyfield as a small part of the whole, and to be subtly influencing positive change for the wider care sector."

When asked about moments of pride, Edith says she experiences them daily. "There are times, especially on demanding or challenging days, when you question why you do this job," she admits. "But somehow, most of the time, even on such days, a resident, staff member, or family member will do something small that simply reminds you why you come to work. In my relatively short time at Bradbury House, working as part of the team, I'm most proud that we all collaborate to achieve our best. Seeing staff happy in their work, residents smiling, and hearing positive feedback about the excellent care they receive and how highly they think of our staff, truly brings joy and job satisfaction to the forefront."

Edith hopes Good Care Month will positively impact public perceptions of care work. By sharing valuable insights, she believes this can help with recruitment, referral placements, and ultimately, if they can shift even a small percentage of misconceptions by sharing their knowledge and personal experiences, they'll be doing well.

For anyone considering a career in care, particularly at Bradbury House, Edith offers a warm welcome. "Due to our rural location, recruitment can sometimes be challenging," she acknowledges. "We welcome interest from anyone who'd like to join us here. We have a dedicated recruitment team, advertise on Indeed and other forums, have a Facebook page, and much more. If you're interested in joining this incredibly rewarding sector and want to make a positive difference to the lives of those we support, please do come and say hello at one of our open days or give us a call if you need more information. We offer an excellent training programme and great opportunities for career advancement."

The most rewarding aspects and key qualities of a care worker

For Edith, the most rewarding part of her job ties back to a goal she set three decades ago. She says, "Thirty years ago, I told myself, ‘If I can put a smile on someone's face by the end of a day, I've done something good.' Now, after all this time, I'm still in a care and support role, achieving my personal goals within an organisation that shares my values. We're committed to being our best, continuing to serve the public, and maintaining a respected presence in our small village among everyone involved with Bradbury House."

So, what does it take to be a great care worker? Edith identifies the key qualities: "It's about being caring, responsive, patient, and understanding. You need a genuine commitment to making a positive difference. Qualities like showing empathy and understanding and sometimes putting yourself in another's shoes to understand their actions, are all vital."

Community and support

Bradbury House actively builds a sense of community and they've recently had a meet and greet to build networks in the local community and are planning regular events to encourage further involvement.

"We also have some valued volunteers and wish to build on this in the community and are looking for volunteers who can contribute their time and experience to support us locally with social activities that we can hold as events in service promoting that inclusive community presence and involvement," Edith explains.

She stresses that engaging with the wider local community is essential, particularly for their small rural setting, as it contributes to job satisfaction, positive word of mouth, maintaining an established overall positive reputation, and networking to share knowledge and lessons learned.

Edith shares a touching story of a resident who, after a short hospital stay, specifically requested to come to Bradbury House. "She requested out of all the care homes in the local area that she wished to come to Bradbury," Edith recalls.  

"One of the residents we presently support had said that managers need to know the residents well and spend quality time with individuals. At our most recent meet and greet she fed back to those who attended about how well things were now going within the service and felt supported with management and said, 'I mean what I say and just say it as it is'."

Edith admits that prioritising can change quickly in her role, and she deals with many different elements each day. "Care overall can be challenging," she says. "But for me the most important aspect in my role is ensuring residents are happy, feel supported, have a voice and are listened to and know that we collectively are doing everything we can in continuing to provide quality support provision that is evidence based with ongoing commitment to be the best that we can be and aim for excellence with our present good CQC ratings."

Abbeyfield places a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing, and Edith highlights the various support systems they have in place. These include an employee assistance programme and careful rota planning to support a healthy work-life balance. She notes the strong team dynamic, explaining that "staff all support each other and we are there for each other; there's no 'I' in teams." Regular team meetings and supervision are also provided, alongside consistent management presence within the service to offer support. Furthermore, staff benefit from an excellent rewards scheme, an out-of-hours management advice line, and a 'refer a friend' scheme.

Talking with Edith, it's clear that good care at Bradbury House is about support and dedication that helps residents, staff, and the wider community.

Read more Good Care Month stories

To continue celebrating Good Care Month with us, explore more inspiring stories from our dedicated staff on our blog.

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