10 QUESTIONS
10 Questions with... Julie Weaver
Each issue, we ask an industry professional the Tomorrow’s Care 10 Questions. This month, we spoke to Julie Weaver, regional director with responsibility for new homes at Care UK.
Q4 Q5 Q1
How did you get into the care industry?
I left school after taking my A-levels at Worcester Girls Grammar School but I had no driving ambition to follow any career path. Fortunately, I was studying at night school to further my qualifications when I met a theatre nurse. She told me about her work and I knew I wanted to have that level of responsibility, as well as the opportunity to work as an autonomous practitioner.
Q2 Q3
Who, in any other industry, do you most admire?
Emma Bridgewater, a British ceramics manufacturer, who couldn’t find a cup and saucer she liked for her mum’s birthday. She set up her own company using one of the old Stoke potteries and, as well as making truly beautiful pottery, she created many jobs for the local community.
How would you improve the care sector?
I would set a minimum standard fee that would allow providers to pay the living wage. As a society we need to value older people and the people who care for them. Many older people have complex needs but this is just not considered by some authorities in the fee equation.
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What did you want to be when you were eight years old?
An actress. I wanted to be an Oscar winner following rave reviews of my Mummy Bear in the school play!
What is the biggest challenge facing the care
industry today? Recruitment and retention. A combination of lower wages, huge responsibility and the fact that, as a society, we do not value carers as much as we should, doesn’t attract people to the most worthwhile of professions. Care UK works hard to show carers that there are training opportunities and career paths open to them.
My involvement with opening new care homes gives me the opportunity to look at how we can create structures that actively develop our rising stars and give them the experience they need for successful and long-lasting careers.
Q6
If you could have a dinner party with any three people,
dead or alive, who would they be and why? William Wilberforce – most people know him as an anti-slavery campaigner but he was also one of the founding members of the RSPCA in 1824 and I am an animal lover. He was a compassionate man who had the courage to stand up against the things he knew to be wrong. Second would be Anne Boleyn – I would try and succeed where Thomas Cromwell failed – by the end of the evening I would have an answer to whether she had been adulterous, though it might take a lot of wine! Finally, an ancient Egyptian
– I have always found the culture fascinating and it would be wonderful to share information and ideas.
Q7
What is the best advice you could give to someone new
coming into the care profession? Don’t let anyone put you off. Keep your sense of humour and your sense of compassion and empathy and you will have a rewarding career.
Q8
What would you like to see in a future issue of
Tomorrow’s Care? Information of how the fee capping aspects of the Care Act will work. I would also like to read any insights and advice from commissioners.
Q9
What do you think the future holds for the care
industry? I think the next few years will be exciting in terms of regulation and the CQC toughening its requirements. I think it will be hard for organisations that do not have money to invest in improvements and I think some providers will be forced to improve – that can only be a good thing.
Q10
Asked by Alison Boote, Operations Director at
Akari Care: What do you see as the main motivator for recruiting staff in a care home environment? I think a liking for people is what drives people to become a carer. You need to want to make a difference to people’s wellbeing and happiness. That’s where the true job satisfaction is.
www.careuk.com
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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