The manager of a specialist dementia care home in Bridgwater, Somerset has been asked to contribute to a project aiming to improve the public perception of care workers and help boost recruitment.

Jess Hawker, manager of Camelot Care’s Avalon Nursing Home, was asked to take part in the research project being organised by The Leaders Council of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

“I was really pleased to be asked for my views and am more than ready to help this high-profile campaign hopefully raise the profile of the caring profession in the UK,” Hawker said.

“I am going to be interviewed for a podcast which will be hosted on the Leaders Council website, and interviewees’ input will also be included in the report which their chair, former Home Secretary and Education Secretary Lord Blunkett, will be presenting to Parliament at a special event in the House of Lords.” 

Jess’s interview will include her thoughts on what needs to be done to ease the pressures in the care sector, her own experiences and how to make a career in care an attractive prospect.  

Jess said: “The care sector has been my life for 15 years and I passionately believe we should be doing all we can to attract the best people to consider a career in care.  

“This project looks to be an effective way to do that. The researchers say that although care workers from abroad are now able to access ‘skilled work’-based visas, they have spoken with a number of people working in the sector and it seems very few outside the sector are currently considering care as a career. 

“They’re hoping this campaign – which they plan to promote via a social media campaign, in-person meetings, and letters to relevant figures in Parliament – will change the situation, and that’s why they’re interviewing care leaders from across the country to get our thoughts on various issues. 

“Ours is such an important job. Striving every day to support vulnerable people to live their best lives is challenging but so rewarding, and I would dearly love to encourage anyone who thinks they might be interested to consider caring as a career.” 

The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was created in 2020, bringing together some of the most influential leaders from across the country to “celebrate the hard work and achievements of the nation’s unsung leaders, while laying the ground for the next generation”.