Greenwich home care provider celebrates carers by recognising exceptional team members

A home care provider has celebrated Carers Week by recognising exceptional team members.

Bluebird Care Greenwich, a home care provider, have marked Carers Week by celebrating exceptional members of their team, Malina Binkowska, Teresa Dell, and Mary Mclaughlin.

Carers Week is a yearly campaign that seeks to recognise the contribution Carers make to families and communities throughout the UK.

This year, with the focus of the week around ‘Making caring visible and valued’, three special team members at the home care provider are being recognised for their fantastic work.

Malina Binkowska has been part of the Bluebird Care family for almost four years.

Uninspired in her previous line of work, her decision to join the social care sector was driven by a desire to do something useful and meaningful, whilst maintaining flexibility to care for her family.

Now, after a few years at Bluebird Care Greenwich, Malina is well respected by her colleagues and customers alike.

Reflecting on her time as a Carer so far, Malina said: “My favourite part of being a Carer is the possibility of meeting some incredible, inspiring customers during my days.

“We do a very difficult but important job and the most important thing is to be good to everybody and always look at the bright side.”

Like Malina, Teresa Dell has been a Carer with the Bluebird Care Greenwich team for a significant length of time. Joining almost seven years ago, she began her career in care after she was made redundant from her previous job.

After speaking with her sister, someone who had worked in social care prior, she was inspired to take a different route and applied for a position at Bluebird Care Greenwich. Following an interview, she started that very same evening.

Now, several years on, and with a vast amount of experience under her belt, Teresa reflects upon her time in the sector: “I love being a Carer.

“It is lovely to feel needed and to be able to help people to do things they are no longer able to do for themselves and to continue to live in their own homes. It is lovely and clients always appreciate what you do for them.”

“I love working at Bluebird care as we are a close team, and all look out for each other. The management are very special. I know I could go to them with any problems and be listened to and helped to find a solution.”

When asked what advice she would give to somebody looking to join the social care sector, Teresa said: “My advice would be to look into it properly and know what is involved.

“If you are somebody that cares about others and are a friendly person this would be a great rewarding job for you.”

Alongside Teresa is Mary Mclaughlin, a Care Assistant who joined with Teresa seven years ago.

But, unlike her colleague, Mary has been part of the health and social care industry for over 40 years.

Passionate about helping others, care was her first role when she came to the UK.

Inspired to join the sector by her own personal experiences of nurses tending to her father in hospital, she promised herself that she would join the care sector and help people in the same way they did.

Mary has fulfilled this ambition and is now an important member of the team, valued highly by her colleagues and customers. She has been described by her customers as being like a “best friend” who is “reliable, punctual and has a great work ethic.”

Speaking of her career, Mary said: “I love taking care of people, I have good days and bad days but overall, I really love it. I like working at Bluebird Care because of the environment and community we have here.”

Speaking of the trio’s efforts, Siham Akka, Care Manager at Bluebird Care Greenwich, said: “I couldn’t ask for better Care Assistants, they really put their all into their work and I can tell this is more than just a job for them.”