Handhold please, job offer fallen through

[BillywigSting]

Had a job offer for domiciliary care, but after years of being a sahm and with a dc still in reception, very limited childcare and a dp who works 9-5 it was a good fit, evenings and weekends, would have got me out of the house, doing something I enjoy (have done vv similar for elderly relatives and dps elderly relatives), my life was looking on the up.

Was expecting a call today to arrange dates and times for training, but instead got one to say that the offer was no longer on, the two people I was to be caring for had respectively died and moved to residential care.

They said they're going to keep my application on file and get in touch if any hours come up. I'm to and collect my dbs refund from the office today.

I am gutted.

I was so excited to get this job, had visions of doing as much training as I possibly could and maybe even one day training to be a nurse.

My confidence was in my boots before accepting this offer, then OK again when I got it. I naively told friends and family that it was in the bag.

It was a total punt applying for this position too as they weren't interested in my cv so much as how I was in interview. So I don't have a cv tailored to this kind of work at all. The more I think about it though the more I realise that it's something I'd really like to pursue. So now I need to write a totally new cv too which I'm really struggling with on top of the disappointment and nervousness of telling everyone that actually no I'm still unemployed.

Sorry for the rant and thank you for reading this far!

Oh that sucks, sorry OP

On the plus side, domiciliary care is woefully understaffed so hopefully you will be able to find something very similar very soon.

Chin up.

Thanks

Hopefully, I'm frantically job hunting as we speak!

I haven't told dp yet. He's going to be gutted too. We might have been able to afford a little cheap holiday somewhere sunny this year with the wages from this job but that looks unlikely now

On the plus side, domiciliary care is woefully understaffed so hopefully you will be able to find something very similar very soon.

Yes to this. You are sure to get another job quickly. Good luclk!

Sorry, that must have been a horrible phone call. I would contact agencies who specialise in this area and you could be working very quickly. You have gained employment once and you will do it gain so keep going and good luck.

If you’re interested in care work, have you considered applying to your local hospital nurse bank as a healthcare? They’ve give you some basic training and you could work whenever you’re free/they have shifts (loads going in my hospital right now!). I went from that to a permanent job to doing my nurse training

@FaithInfinity that sounds interesting, don't they normally want you to have some sort of experience though? I only have a bit of casual retail and some kitchen /chef work apart from looking after relatives

In my experience of NHS bank workers, there's not even the requirement to be able to string a coherent sentence together and you'll be hired - let alone relevant background experience (no slight intended on your skills or intelligence level, OP). You could certainly get in contact with your local Trust to see if they have some HSW slots available.

Second doing bank HCA in hospital setting. If nursing is something you’re considering longer term then it could open many many more doors for you. You would be able to work in a massive variety of specialities giving you an insight into which you prefer, you could move up the ladder through the trust rather than taking time out to train, so getting paid whilst getting qualifications. Nursing Associates are becoming more common now, they are band 4 and paid to train, essentially doing everything a nurse does except IV medication. You can top up to the degree with an extra year after if you choose to.

You would start at band 2 and you don’t have to have specific care experience, though I would mention your personal bit (relatives etc), think more about transferable skills, conflict resolution, people management, face to face contact, food hygiene, interpersonal skills etc etc. They all matter and are used daily.
I know it’s hard right now, but think of this as an opportunity to look at better positions and stay positive.
For some idea as to how you can progress, I started bank hca 6 years ago, alongside volunteering, then became permanent, applied to uni to do midwifery (can’t be done as an apprenticeship yet) qualified this year. The sky is the limit. Good luck

I didn’t really have any experience. It’s a bit in the deep end in terms of getting on with it but it’s a great learning experience. If you’re keen and take initiative, they’ll love you!

Can you tell me how you applied to be bank staff? I'm looking online and it all seems to be RGNs they're after, do I just ring the hospitals (I have three very close to me) and ask?

My trust advertises recruitment days every so often but yes I’d just call and ask.

If you're interested in care work then have a look at local agencies. There is usually a huge demand for care workers especially ones who can do evenings and weekends.

The NHS and care homes are falling over themselves to get good care staff, there's a massive shortage in most parts of the country!

I'm assuming you're in England or Wales, so if you head over to www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/ and just type in "bank" or "healthcare assistant" you'll see how many vacancies there are. Some Trusts also have housekeeping roles which are about things like making the tea, making sure wards are clean etc. You can also narrow your search down to an area, or add in the name of a hospital or town.

Don't be too daunted by the registration process and the form - the really nice thing about NHS jobs is that once you've filled in your form for that first application you can keep using the same basic information and just change your supporting statement.

Just about every hospital currently has its own nursing/healthcare bank, and some also have bank staff in other areas (e.g. estates, or "Facilities Management" as it now calls itself, or admin). Have a look on their website too, there is usually a link. And lots of people start as bank healthcare or nursing assistants and then progress, many to RGN. A friend of mine who used to manage the Bank at our local Trust (which I wouldn't recommend, having worked there for 4 years on the admin side but there are other very good hospitals and care homes in the area) was very proud of the fact she spotted lots of potential in the people she recruited as healthcare assistants, several of whom went on to become very senior nurses in big teaching hospitals and A&E departments.

And most Trusts will train you; they're usually looking for people who are honest, reliable, hard-working, kind, caring, a good communicator, good at handling conflict, able to cope with the physical demands of the job, and who don't mind being busy. The rest can be taught. Safeguarding is a big thing as well.

The NHS might be nuts and very under-resourced, and every Trust (and every department) is different, but overall, it's still a very rewarding place to work. Definitely mention looking after your relatives as one of the reasons you're applying, both in the supporting statement and when (notice I'm saying when, not if!) you get to interview. Have a look at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Learning-development/inducting-staff/care-certificate/Care-Certificate.aspx for some of the skills they might ask you about - and don't be put off by the length of the thing. There's also a really good magazine/journal called the British Journal of Healthcare Assistants - if you're near a big WH Smiths they usually sell it. Once you are in the NHS, many of the hospital staff libraries subscribe to it and yes, as bank staff, you should usually be able to join the library.

If you'd rather the private sector then indeed.co.uk is one good site to start looking.

The very best of luck - I am sure you will find something sooner than you think.