Are you looking for a rewarding career helping others? Do you want a fulfilling job role? Could you give back to members of your community? If the answer to any of those questions is “Yes!”, then working in health and social care is for you.
Often overlooked in its importance, the health and social care industry is something of a backbone to public health across the UK. From young children receiving early years care to elderly assistance, health and social care provides support for people throughout their lives.
Read on to discover just a few of the reasons why health and social care remains a crucial industry today and beyond.
When working in health and social care, individuals are given the chance to have a direct impact on someone’s quality of life. From helping them in their final years to giving a younger patient an easier start in life, health and social care workers are often directly responsible for improving the day-to-day lives of patients.
Think about it: comfort and health are two of the most basic human needs — without which life can be very miserable. Carers can actively provide crucial assistance in these areas within their work – from adjusting the position of bedridden patients to administering medication.
For the terminally or seriously ill, quality of life is already diminished. However, health and social care workers can offer both physical help and emotional support to make the tough times easier like no other profession can.
When family and friends cannot be present to look after their loved ones, health and social workers can.
For the elderly or seriously ill, daily tasks such as personal care and communication become very difficult. For patients that require round-the-clock care, or are often in hospital, it can seem that they have little to no control over their life — let alone independence.
However, health and social care workers can help give these patients a chance to regain their independence once more. Carers can complete tasks on patients’ behalf and assist them in completing certain tasks themselves, restoring a sense of autonomy and success that would otherwise be taken away by illness or age.
Anything from brushing hair and distributing medication to feeding and washing patients can be completed by carers. These small things that able-bodied people take for granted can mean the world of difference to a patient who would struggle otherwise.
Care then becomes not only extremely rewarding for the carer but liberating for those receiving it.
By 2030, it is estimated that an extra half a million carer jobs will be needed to meet the ever-increasing demand for adult care services.
The health and social care industry is one of society’s most fundamental sectors and yet it lacks workers year on year. As a result of this growing demand, each and every health and social care role that is filled means so much more.
In a country that relies so much upon this sort of work, every carer is well-respected and essential — as the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted so strikingly over the past few years.
Unlike other industries, the health and social care sector offers targeted care for the people who need it most. All different kinds of care can be delivered with laser-like precision to meet the needs of people who would benefit from it most.
Much more than a blanket ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the health and social care industry has a plethora of different specialised roles that far better suit those being cared for than general ‘care’. Specialised care professionals will have received more targeted training and will therefore be far more informed on the conditions they will be treating as a result.
This variety allows those working in this industry to choose their own career path decidedly while allowing for meaningful, effective care methods to be delivered.
From social workers who oversee the care of children to elderly care workers who deliver direct personal care to those too old to care for themselves properly, there are multiple different opportunities in the health and social care sector.
This specificity benefits carers and those receiving care mutually.
If you’re ready to start a rewarding and fruitful career as a carer, get in touch with our helpful team of experts today. Or, for more inspiration, take a look at our ‘Why Care?’ page.
As part of the development of recruitment around the care sector in Kent - Kent Care Professionals have a number of roles live and readily available now. Please click here to search for those roles and apply for your next step in social care in Kent.
