Extra Hands get thumbs up from long-serving employee

A care coordinator at a Heacham-based home care visiting agency has hailed her employer as “the best I’ve ever worked for” after marking 15 years of service with the company. ​

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Sarah Chilvers spent 11 years as a visiting home carer for the Extra Hands agency before switching to an administrative role at its Heacham office four years ago, and having reached the 15 year milestone, says she hopes she will stay there until the end of her working career.
 
“I’ve no desire to go anywhere else,” said the 56-year-old. “Whatever your role is, they will do anything you need for you, that’s why I’ve been here so long and hope to be here forever. They look on you as part of the family.”

Family is a key factor in the success of the company, founded 28 years ago by husband and wife team Dave and Hazel Evans. It provides a wide range of home care packages to suit all budgets and family circumstances, including a daily wellbeing check-up service, and its Heacham office has been awarded Outstanding status by the Care Quality Commission.
 
“With franchise companies, you’re just a name on a piece of paper, but at Extra Hands, the management know you – if ever there’s a problem of any kind, I know I can pick up the phone and speak to any of my managers, and they’ll know not just me, but my family as well. It’s an incredibly people-centred place.”
 
Sarah said her background as a visiting carer gives her an insight into the challenges faced by home carers, and enabled her to provide informed support.

“I know all the kind of practical problems they might encounter, so people can always call me and if I don’t have the answer to hand, I’ll know where I can find it and get back to them,” she said. “Having done the rounds myself, I also know things like backroads and short cuts that people can take if they get stuck in traffic.”

The pandemic has presented a whole new set of challenges for the care industry, as well as increased workload, but Sarah said the company could not have been any more helpful in helping her deal with her own situation.
 
“I had to shield but they looked after me brilliantly,” she said. “Within a week of the first lockdown, announcement, I had a desk, computer, printer and my own office chair all delivered to my home so I could carry on doing my job.

“If there’s anything they can do for you, they will – there’s even a spare car that people can always borrow if their own breaks down, or if you need a sit down and a chat, they’ll do that too. Extra Hands are an unbelievably wonderful company to work for, and I hope I’ll be here until I retire.”