TEN QUESTIONS
10 Questions with... Alice Mitroi
Each issue we ask an industry professional the Tomorrow's Care 10 Questions. This month, we spoke to Alice Mitroi, Registered Care Home Manager from The Royal Alfred Seafarers' Society.
Q1
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE CARE INDUSTRY? I have always loved helping people and talking to
people from different walks of life, so I knew from an early age that I wanted to have a career that embraced this.
When I arrived in the UK in 2015 my first job was in a care home, and I loved it. It was clear to me that good people were working in the industry but that it could benefit from even more working in care and educating others on the sector.
Q2
WHO, IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY, DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? While other industries are admirable, few people
outside the care industry reflect the same values and ambition we aim to achieve. I admire Richard Branson in some sense because of how he describes his employees in his book; he also sees them as the most important part of his business and wants them to be valued more than anything else.
The Royal Alfred is fortunate to count HRH Princess Anne as its patron. I truly admire her hard work and dedication to different charities and organisations, including the Royal Alfred.
Q3
HOW DO YOU THINK THE CARE SECTOR COULD BE IMPROVED?
The care sector could be improved by society paying more attention to employees and managers within the space. Their dedication is not valued in the same way as other medical practices, which then impacts recruitment and retention. For example, if employees received the same benefits and recognition as NHS staff, it could really boost morale and encourage people to begin or continue their career in the care industry.
Something I noticed on entering the care industry is the lack of positive attention in mainstream media, which I believe hinders development in the industry and funding.
Investing more funds is essential to improving the industry. We are seeing the need for more specialists to support dementia or mental access, and the government is currently cutting back and removing funded specialists/therapists from homes.
Q4 Q5
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IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERPOWER FOR A DAY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Reading people's minds. It would be so good to understand people and what their needs are, especially working in care, you could ease people's pain a lot faster.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING THE CARE INDUSTRY TODAY?
The current economic climate is causing recruitment problems. People are now looking for higher-paid work outside the sector, which is why change in the industry
essential — care workers must feel valued.
Q6 Q7
IF YOU COULD HAVE A DINNER PARTY WITH
ANY THREE PEOPLE, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE? Winston Churchill, Florence Nightingale and Queen Elizabeth.
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE
TO SOMEONE NEW COMING INTO THE CARE PROFESSION? Do not believe all the negative things you hear about working in the industry and be patient; your hard work will pay off.
Q8
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN A FUTURE
ISSUE OF TOMORROW'S CARE? I would like to see a feature on care homes of the future, looking at the upcoming technology being designed for care and data usage to improve the quality of care.
Q9
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE CARE INDUSTRY?
Hard times. The whole economy is changing, and the cost of everything is increasing, so homes have less in the budget to provide the same level of care and employees must be creative to find ways to achieve this. However, with recruitment such a challenge, many homes will have to increase their fees, and unfortunately, fewer people will be able to afford to live in care facilities.
Q10
STACEY MCCANN, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT BELONG CARE VILLAGES, ASKED: WITH AN AGEING
DEMOGRAPHIC, HOW DO YOU THINK THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF CARE SETTINGS WILL NEED TO ADAPT TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE THEIR LIVES TO THE FULL AND ACHIEVE WELLBEING IN SAFE AND CARING ENVIRONMENTS? As people are living longer and cognitive skills are going down, I predict more assisted living being built which will accommodate people 60+ with additional needs.
There are also queues of potential residents waiting for placement in dementia units in the UK. More assisted living and care facilities means more high-quality homes with specialised provisions for those who need it.
https://royalalfredseafarers.co.uk www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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