Crawley care worker who joined sector from retail calls for ‘more people to consider a career in care’

Hilary Mitchell, an assistant care manager at Housing 21’s Walstead Court in Crawley, featured in the provider's most ambitious recruitment drive yet. This includes advertising on radio, digital and buses

Housing 21 is a national ‘Retirement Living and Extra Care’ provider for older people of modest means and manages 22,000 properties across the country. This includes three properties in Sussex.

Hilary chose a new career in care after 24 years in retail, starting in the evenings with administering medication and settling residents to bed, while continuing with her retail role during the day.

Hilary said: “I wish I had known about Housing 21 when I left school. Considering I had never done anything like care work, the application process was extremely easy and the managers were so helpful. They made me feel comfortable about my lack of experience.

"After five years of working two jobs, I realised I was extremely tired of working in retail and nothing about the role was fulfilling. Walstead Court was where I wanted to be. Seeing the residents smile and giving you a hug is so rewarding, it has such a positive effect on your mindset.

“We’re a small court and care team but we are so close, the team really makes the job so much easier. I’m now an assistant care manager, but I still choose to do my 10 hours of care work a week, which I love. The residents confide in you, you are like their family and for some, we’re the only family they have.”

Hilary now features in Housing 21’s latest recruitment campaign to attract more people to careers in care and help to tackle the shortage within the sector.

The provider unveiled its ‘Your Inner Care Shows You Extra Care’ campaign last month. ‘Extra Care’ allows residents to live independently in their own homes with access to on-site care.

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The advertising features four of its own care workers and a number of residents and aims to show how many people have the qualities needed to become a care worker and never realised how rewarding a career in care can be.