Former lab technician finds the perfect role

​A former lab technician from Norwich who conducted an experiment with her own career three years ago when she decided to become a carer has achieved spectacular results after winning an award for her professionalism.

---

​Linda Hall, 55, works from Extra Hands' office in Horsham St Faith. When she was made redundant from her lab job just over three years ago, she was unsure what to do until her step daughter saw a job advert for Extra Hands, and it changed her life.
​
“This is the best job I’ve ever done, I get huge job satisfaction,” she said. “I’ve done many things over the years, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else now.”

Linda is one of the latest winners of the company’s GEM awards, which stands for Going the Extra Mile, and allows care service users to nominate carers who they think have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

“I would especially like to thank Linda for the quality of her care and for the supportive relationship she built up,” said one of her nominations. “I find it difficult to imagine a more pleasant, helpful or professional carer.”

Extra Hands, which was set up in 1993 by husband and wife team Dave and Hazel Evans, provides a wide range of home care packages to care users across Norfolk, to suit all budgets and family circumstances.

“I absolutely love my job, and my husband says I should have been doing this all the time,” Linda added.  
”The pandemic means people really appreciate the job that we do a lot more, too. They used to think we just turned up, made a cup of tea and a sandwich, but they know now that there’s so much more to being a carer than things like that.

“Some of the other carers are amazing, and the care users will have a place in my heart forever, because you become part of one another’s lives. 

"I used to be far more reserved, but I’m a lot more confident now, and totally happy to meet new people all the time. The experience of caring for others has done me a lot of good, too.”