Senior residential care professional

What is the role of a senior care professional in a residential service? What is a typical day like?

Watch the video and read the case study below to find out.

Jack's first role in care was the work placement that he completed whilst studying towards a qualification in Health and Social care at college. Jack really enjoyed his placement and was inspired to pursue a career in elderly care when he finished his course.

Jack started as a carer at Enderby Grange care home in 2014 and has since been promoted to a senior carer role. In 2018, Jack was awarded the Senior Carer of the Year award as part of the Leicester Mercury Carer of the Year Awards.

Jack's career goal is to one day manage his own care home. He is working towards this goal by taking advantage of every opportunity to gain new skills and experience.

Enderby Grange is home to around 40 residents who have a range of health and social care needs, including physical disabilities and dementia. Jack works 42 or 32 hours a week, made up of a mixture of 7am-2pm and 2pm- 9pm shifts.

As a senior carer, Jack is responsible for record keeping, delegating care tasks to team members and carrying out advanced care tasks, such as medicine administration. Jack is also responsible for reporting concerns about residents to the management team.

Jack's shifts begin with a handover session with the team from the previous shift. Information sharing is a vital part of Jack's role because it ensures that residents receive consistent care that meets all their needs. Jack must review the records of the previous shift and make sure that his colleagues are aware of any changes to a resident's needs. After handover, Jack delegates care tasks, such as waking residents or setting up the dining room, to the carers that he is working alongside. Jack also supports staff to complete these tasks, and ensures that each staff member carries out their duties safely and to a high standard.

As well as managing administrative tasks and supervising carers, Jack works alongside the rest of the care team to support residents. These tasks include serving meals, supporting residents with personal care and helping residents to plan their activities for the day. Residents are supported to do whatever activities they prefer. If a resident has chosen to go out for the day with a visitor, Jack and his team will support that individual to get ready for their day.

During every shift, Jack makes time for socialising with the residents. Jack prides himself on keeping up to date with the resident's lives and family news. This time spent socialising is essential to enable Jack to build strong relationships and to ensure that residents receive the emotional support that they need to live happy and fulfilling lives.

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