CARERS and Companions, run by local charity Ilkley Community Enterprise Ltd, is delivering much needed care and support to the local community as the coronavirus crisis continues. To help with this, the charity is running a local recruitment drive to expand its team of Community Carers.

“We are still very much providing the highest standards of quality care to our clients during the pandemic” said David Edwards, Registered Manager with Carers and Companions. “Many local people rely on us for care and support in their own homes and that is the case now more than ever. Whether its assisting with personal care such as washing and dressing through to preparing food, drinks and keeping on top of household tasks, our Community Carers are there to help. We know that many clients and their loved ones are finding this a very difficult time so we are pulling out all the stops to do everything possible for both existing and new clients.”

Carers and Companions is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and is rated by as outstanding for the quality of the care it provides for elderly people and people with disabilities in their own homes. It is looking to recruit caring and compassionate people, with a full driving licence, who want to help support vulnerable people in Ilkley and surrounding areas. Full training will be provided and the charity offers excellent rates of pay and good career development opportunities.

“Our wonderful team of Community Carers, alongside colleagues from the NHS and other care providers, are going above and beyond to continue to provide care and support to people in need” says David. “We are wholly committed to ensuring that our staff and clients remain as safe and well as possible during this crisis. To support this, we are continuing to follow all government and NHS guidance to protect our clients and employees and are working to enhanced risk assessment and infection control procedures. We are thankful to government for the recent delivery of new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which is now being used by all our Community Carers.”

In addition, the charity has expanded the support that it is offering to people with learning and other disabilities who are having to stay at home. Jenna Peel, Operations Director of Outside the Box said: “We know that many people with learning disabilities, together with their parents and carers, are feeling the impact of being cut off from their normal routines and experiencing the pressures of having to stay at home. So we have expanded our services to include home-based, one-to-one service delivery that will provide bespoke support to clients, including those who are members at Outside the Box, alongside some respite for parents and carers. Even if this support is for just a few hours each week we know it can make a positive difference to how people with learning disabilities and their families are coping with the challenges of the current situation and start to prepare them for a return to usual routines once the crisis is over.”

Anyone interested in the job opportunities at the charity or wanting to discuss getting high quality and safe care and support for their loved ones please contact Carers and Companions on 01943 609484 or email enquiries@carersandcompanions.co.uk