Meet the Team: Q&A with Nicola Price

At ND Care & Support, we are in an exciting phase of expanding our home care services into the Caerphilly area, which means that our team of dedicated staff is also growing.  Nicola joined us recently as the Care Coordinator for Caerphilly. Find out more about her role and her insight into working in the care sector for many years.

Do you have a background in care work? Can you tell us more about your career journey so far?

I have worked in the care sector for 11 years so far. I started off as a Care Worker and progressed within my career becoming a Field Care Supervisor and then a Care Coordinator. Through many years of experience working in the care sector, I’ve found it to be the most rewarding job to be in. I started my career in care with no experience or qualifications, which just shows that anyone can progress with hard work and determination.

What does a day in your role look like?

A day in my role as Care Coordinator can be very busy and stressful, but the reward is always far greater than all that. I spend my time organising staff rotas to ensure all our services users have their care covered as scheduled and ensuring the best care possible is provided. Not one day is the same and every day feels like I have achieved great things.

What key skills are required to do your job?

It requires many skills to be a good Care Coordinator. In particular, you need to be:

• Punctual
• Professional
• Organised
• Empathetic
• And caring.

What do you enjoy most about your job and why?

The best thing that I enjoy most about my job is that we have made somebody’s life a little easier each day by providing them with the care they require. Without a Care Coordinator making the necessary arrangements for Care Workers to cover calls in each area, we wouldn’t be able to provide such a seamless service. It is reassuring to know that my work is making a difference.

What day-to-day challenges do you face in your role?

The most common day to day challenge I face is making sure that service users receive their care services on time and with high-quality care. This is my main goal, but there are often obstacles along the way that I have to work around to ensure I can meet expectations and deliver the best care possible.

What challenges does the wider care sector face? How do you feel you are making a difference to this?

I feel like the care sector struggles with recruitment as a Care Worker role is a very hard job to take on and the ‘horror’ stories in the media put candidates off applying for the roles. However, in actual fact, although a Care Worker role is hard work, it is one of the most rewarding jobs you can do and there are so many positives that we don’t hear about in the media. Not many people can go home after work knowing they’ve made a positive difference to someone’s life!

What is your proudest moment in work or your greatest achievement in your career and why?

My greatest achievement in my career is progressing from a Care Worker to my role now as a Care coordinator regardless of starting with no experience or qualifications. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I’m very proud of that.

What advice would you give to candidates who want to go into care work?

The advice I would give a potential candidate is that, if they have a caring nature and feel they would love to care for people to help change their lives, then don’t listen to the bad things people say about it and experience it for yourself. You won’t regret it!

What is your favourite quote and why?

My favourite quote is:

If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.

This is my favourite quote because no matter where you are in life, you can always choose what you want to do and where you want to go in life.

We are thrilled to have Nicola join our ND Care & Support team, bringing with her a wealth of experience in the care industry! Join us again soon to meet more members of the ND Care & Support family in our Meet the Team Q&A blog series…