A Day in the Life at Blackwood

Today my first job is to meet the new gardeners and some tenants and walk round one of the developments that is due to have some improvement works done. This gives tenants an opportunity to have a say in what they would like done.

Then I have to visit some tenants about rent arrears. Arrears work takes up a significant amount of my time but it is extremely important to ensure the Association has money coming in to spend on repairs and improvements. The recent changes to housing benefit has created a lot of work and we have had to dedicate substantial resources to identify those tenants affected and help them to address it. We have worked hard to support tenants by helping them make applications for Discretionary Housing Payment, arranging payment plans and helping them look for alternative housing when requested as well as working to secure exemptions for a lot of our supported accommodation and disabled tenants. In my area the councils have set up regular meetings so we have an opportunity to discuss any housing benefit issues with them. This is a really good partnership as it lets me update them on any change in circumstances my tenants have had and lets me get issues resolved quickly. Legal action due to rent arrears is always our very last resort, ultimately we want tenants to remain in their homes but its important tenants speak to us – we are here to help.

When I'm in any of my developments I walk around to check everything is ok, are there any repairs that need done, is the gardening up to standard, odes that fence need painted, could that area do with a bench or some flower baskets. We are always looking for ways to improve our developments and we welcome suggestions from tenants on anything they would like to see done.

When someone tells us they are moving out we start work straight away to find a new tenant. Housing waiting lists can be very complicated but they are designed to give those in the greatest housing need the highest priority. I meet with the Estates Officer to inspect the properties and he arranges for any work needed to be done. I am also meeting with an Occupational Therapist to assess if the property is suitable for a wheelchair user. We work closely with our care sector and we often have to co-ordinate with when care services can start and get any equipment needed in place.

During this I get a call from a tenant about a noisy neighbour. Neighbour issues can be very distressing so we always try to intervene as early as possible to resolve things. On speaking to the downstairs neighbour they weren’t aware of how noisy what they were doing was. A quick discussion and the situation is resolved.

Back to the office for a quick spot of lunch. My office is in the centre of one of our developments and is a hub for the community with tenants and service users popping in and out all day. This gives me chance to speak to care staff about any of our tenants they support, we regularly share information and the tenants will mention things to care staff to pass on to me.

After lunch I spend an hour making phone calls to housing benefit to chase up claims, arranging quotes to get a stand pipe fitted outside a block of flats, sending emails and recording all my morning work on our computer system.

Then I have a meeting to attend with other housing associations about tenant participation. Tenant Participation is about tenants taking part in decision making processes and influencing decisions about their developments. This meeting lets me and other housing associations share ideas on how they get tenants involved and on this occasion we are discussing holding a joint event. This would lower the cost for each association and its good to work in partnership with other housing providers.

After this I have to deal with a complaint about some rubbish being dumped in the bin store area of one of my developments. There is a mattress, some old carpet and various empty boxes. Ultimately we shouldn’t have to pay to get this uplifted so I visit all the tenants in the block and figure out who’s it is. While im there we phone the council and arrange for it to be uplifted, the tenant pays by card over the phone.

My last job of the day is to view an empty property with a prospective new tenant. Often we have to work out with 9 – 5 to accommodate people who are working. 

On an early shift I start at 07:45 and have a handover from the previous shift, this is a summary of everything that has happened during the shif tand all other relevant information. This is read from a report generated from our Caresys computer system.

After handover the Duty Manager will allocate and write up on the whiteboard which staff are going to which residents first and also allocate who will be doing the medication round. The Duty Manager will also check the Diary. This holds all appointments for the day and staff are allocated to each appointment.

For continuity we try to have the same two people for the duration of the shift doing medication which involves dispensing medication to residents at given times. Two people carry out this duty - one person to dispense and the other to check and complete the Mars sheets.

There are residents who have care packages at certain times and these take priority over other residents. After this when a resident calls via the Tunstall System it is a first come first serve basis for residents. When we take a call it gets written up on the white board as waiting. When I support residents I write my name up on the white board with the room number beside it, this helps staff to know where each other are and for fire safety reasons.

During the morning I support residents with all aspects of their personal care to get up out of bed, using hoist and slings if necessary. I then shower and dress residents and support them with personal care. Some resident like to have a bath, this would take place during the evening after mealtimes.  If the resident is having breakfast and requires support I will support them with this.

During the shift I will be available to talk to and support District Nurses, doctors or any other visitors to the unit. I also answer phone calls that are received in the duty office from social work, doctors or other outside agencies.

At mealtimes I support residents with their food. This can be helping to support residents with their food or simply observing within the dining room to avoid choking, slips or falls.

I support one of our male residents who requires to have a change of clothes after he eats, generally I would try to get him a full wash at this point and clean clothes on.

Throughout the shift I also do other tasks such as laundry, tidying wardrobes and ensuring residents have support with personal care when needed. I attend hospital, doctor and other clinical appointments.

Within the team I also have to plan social support with residents throughout the month. This gets recorded on our monthly planner and can be anything from a social outing to spending quality time with the resident doing something of their choice.

During each shift I would help to complete our Caresys System typing a summary of the events of the shift for each resident. This is then printed off and used at the handover for the next shift coming on.

At 8am I read out the staff diary and allocate any tasks to the staff team in relation to GP appointments, hospital visits or social support. After this has been done I organise the shift making sure that the tenants receive their correct care package and that times are running on schedule. I then use the white board to allocate where staff are going and to which resident/tenant they will be supporting that day.

I also allocate a member of staff to carry out the morning medication with myself and we check the medication sheet to determine who get what medication and at what times. After this has been completed we then offer the residents support with their morning routine i.e shower, bath and to get dressed for the day. These tasks usually take up most of the morning as the residents/tenants all receive support at different times of the day.

Between all this I am responsible for the day to day running of the care home for example answering calls from social workers, OT’S, district nurses and all other external agencies.

When the morning shift is complete and organised I then return to my office and respond to my e-mails, carry out supervision sessions, carry out appraisals/meetings.

My remit as a Team Leader is the training in which my responsibilities are to update the training logs, organise training whether it be mandatory or client specific.

I am also responsible for filling out the cost of training forms and the QBR information in relation to training.

I also check Caresys on a daily basis to ensure that the rota is running accordingly to meet the demands of the care home and make any necessary changes as required.

I also check on the key workers to offer guidance and support in relation to the care assessment needs, risk assessments and daily recordings on Caresys. I also allocate time for the key workers to have this completed within a reasonable time scale and make sure they have protected time off the floor to have this complete. 

I also deal with any staffing issues on a daily basis and make sure that any new staff are being offered the correct guidance and support.

I also attend resident reviews with the key worker to ensure that the residents/tenants are happy with their service.

I also deal with any other issues that may arise on the day.

As a Business Support Officer, my role is varied and involves responding to different tasks and requests throughout the day. I provide administrative support across Blackwood, helping colleagues and teams with everything from reception and customer enquiries to travel, accommodation, hospitality and general office support.

I usually start my day by reviewing my priorities and checking my emails and shared inboxes for any new requests that have come in. This helps me plan my workload, although priorities can quickly change depending on what support is needed that day.

Throughout the morning, I might be responding to enquiries, dealing with incoming correspondence, arranging travel or accommodation, booking hire cars or helping colleagues with meeting and hospitality requests. As the role supports different areas of Blackwood, there is always a good mix of planned work and things that need dealt with as they come up.

My afternoons can be just as varied. I could be processing an order, helping to prepare for a meeting, dealing with invoices, supporting colleagues with office equipment or completing administrative work for another team. I also help manage shared equipment and make sure colleagues can access what they need.

There are always unexpected requests too. A team might need help preparing correspondence, someone might need support with equipment, or I may be asked to provide additional administrative support when another team is particularly busy. Being organised and able to adapt is a really important part of the role.

Towards the end of the day, I check that I’ve completed my priorities, follow up on anything outstanding and prepare my to-do list for the following day.

One of the things I enjoy about working at Blackwood is the variety of the role and the opportunity to work with people across different teams. It has given me a good understanding of the different services Blackwood provides and how our teams work together.

No two days are exactly the same, and I enjoy being in a role where I can help colleagues, respond to different challenges and play my part in supporting the wider organisation.