When Annemary first joined Bupa as a Care Assistant in 2010, she wasn’t sure this was the career for her. But, after being given the support and guidance she needed from her team, she stuck it out and hasn’t looked back since! She’s progressed through various roles and she’s now the Home Manager at our Knight’s Grove Care Home.

 

 

I started working at Bupa as a Care Assistant in 2010 at Northlands House Care Home. I worked in that role for about 2 years, and then in 2012, I progressed to Senior Care Assistant. I worked as a Senior Care Assistant until 2019 and then progressed to Deputy Manager at the same care home. In 2020, an opportunity came up to manage another Bupa Care Home, Knight’s Grove. My application for this role was successful and I’ve been the Home Manager at Knight’s Grove ever since. 

 

 

 

During one of my first one to ones, I remember telling my manager at the time that I wanted to be a Home Manager one day! I knew that I wanted to develop a career in care, and I’ve been given all the support I needed to achieve my goals. When I was working as a Care Assistant, I was given the opportunity to complete my Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ in Health and Social Care. I then completed my Level 5 NVQ when I was a Senior Care Assistant as well.

 

Whilst working as a Senior Care Assistant, I was included in the first cohort of Bupa’s ‘Flying High’ Programme for employees looking to progress their career. I was given the opportunity to take on extra responsibility like managing the rotas, training other team members and I took part in practical learning on the job. It really supported my development and meant that when a role became available, I was ready to take the step up. 

 

Whilst working as a Deputy Manager, I was put on a Bupa’s ‘Stepping Up’ training which was also great for my development. When I actually progressed to Home Manager, I felt one step ahead because a lot of the training had been covered in the course. 

 

If you want to progress, there’s so much support available at Bupa. I wouldn’t be where I am today without all the extra training, qualifications and support I’ve had.

 

 

Bupa was my first ever care role – I’d never worked in care before! When I first started, I found it challenging. Every day I was seeing vulnerable people and all I wanted to do was help everyone. At one point, I thought can I do this? My team, and my manager at the time, really rallied round me and gave me all the support I needed. I’m so thankful they did because I’d have missed out on such a rewarding career if I’d left in the beginning. Are there challenging days? Absolutely, but it’s also the most rewarding career. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

 

My mum looked after my granddad for 7 years. Unfortunately, he passed away the first year I came to the UK, and I couldn’t make it back for the funeral. In a way, I wanted honour him and help other people in a similar situation to his. I wasn’t convinced I could do it at first though. I read about the role online and it sounded quite daunting – I was only 20 at the time. One of my friends worked in care though and she talked to me about what it was really like and what to expect – she convinced me to try it.

 

           

The residents! I go home every day with a smile on my face because I know that I’ve made a difference to their lives. Seeing them makes my day better – they’ll compliment a new outfit or notice if I’ve done my make up differently and they’re just like family. The pandemic has been a challenging period but there have been some really touching moments that will stay with me forever. I’d worked an extra-long shift to support the team, and as I was leaving, they handed me flowers and started clapping as I walked out – it was just such a lovely moment and really showed me how we were all in it together.

 

I want to support my team to achieve their career aspirations. Whether that’s working at the same level or progressing through the business, I’ll do my best to help them reach their goals. I have multiple staff completing apprenticeships at the moment and I really enjoy helping people develop their skills. I regularly organise pizza nights and ‘pay day’ treats. I want to make sure that my team know that their hard work is valued.

 

If Annemary’s story gets you thinking about a career in care at Bupa, register your details below and one of our team will get in touch to discuss further.