This month we have been chatting to Zara Bannu, who is a Care and Support Worker working with Cream in Telford.
Zara is a naturally caring, highly skilled and experienced Care Worker who is passionate about enriching the lives of the children and adults that she cares for. The feedback from the homes she works in is always exemplary and she is well respected by both the managers and permanent staff of these homes.
We feel privileged to have Zara on the Cream Team and Angela was keen to find out why Zara chose to have a career in care and what she thinks about working for Cream.
“Initially, I worked in care part time around my university studies as the hours worked well for me and I realised how much I loved it and how it didn’t feel like a job as it just seemed natural to me to look after people and enrich their lives. After finishing uni, I realised that I had a passion for care and decided not to pursue a career in my chosen degree subject but to work in care and I haven’t looked back since.”
“I have worked in the Care Sector for nearly 10 years and I can honestly say that Cream Health Care is the only company I have worked for that actually cares about their staff. I have never felt pressured into working and you are considerate of my days off.
“I feel 100% supported by Cream and I know you always advocate for my needs. I love how you have taken the time to get to know me and understand my situation, needs and wants. I like that I can change my availability weekly if I need to, as this helps give me a better work life balance. My partner works in the RAF and his time at home is different every week, sometimes with short notice, so working with Cream means I can take time off to spend with him when he’s home.
“I really enjoy working with children / young adults with autism and learning disabilities and I have been able to build on my knowledge and experiences working with Cream as I am always meeting new people / clients which helps me to learn new things every day.”
We all know that COVID has massively impacted the Social Care Sector and the people working on the frontline of the pandemic particularly; so Angela wanted to know how Zara has coped working through the pandemic and whether she has had her vaccine yet.
“It’s been a little difficult working through the pandemic but Zara has been able to work regularly with our services and found that when she started with a home she could see everyone taking all the precautions like regular testing and PPE so did feel safe. Although it was tough to start with, looking back it’s been a nice experience as everyone has worked together to do the best for the clients.
“I wasn’t sure about the vaccine at first however I knew that I wanted to protect myself and the vulnerable people that I work with so as soon as I was offered it, I had it. I have now had both doses and I am glad that I had it and now realise that I was fortunate to have received the vaccine at the beginning of the year.”
Thank you Zara for being such an invaluable member of the Cream Team, your passion for enriching other people’s lives shines bright and we are chuffed that you are part of the team.