Compliance geek
“I am compliance geek.”
That perfectly sums up Alison Springall’s approach to care and with over 35 years’ experience behind her, there’s a reason why our Managing Director Yomi Eletu sought her out to become our Registered Care Manager.
“Yomi called me on Messenger and as I didn’t recognise the number, I thought it was spam and blocked him,” jokes Alison.
“But he was persistent and tracked me down on LinkedIn and the rest is history!”
Alison joined Caremark Doncaster in June 2023 and is bringing her wealth of experience to bear.
She says: “We only got our CQC registration in November 2022 so it’s still a very young company, but I like that because it’s brand new we can build it the way we want and in the right way.
“It means we are not acquiring old habits and as a compliance geek, everything needs to be right.”
Alison began caring when she was 19 and was inspired to do so due to her family history.
She explains: “My dad left home when I was 11 and my mum died when I was 13, so I went to live with my grandparents.
“They both died before my 19th birthday so effectively I was then looked after by my older sisters, one of whom is a nurse and worked nights to support me.
“I went into care to help people and in this time, I have worked my way up and latterly in my career I have been the registered manager for five different homecare companies.”
Alison says she is enjoying being Manager at Caremark Doncaster and is looking forward to working with Yomi, her Care Coordinator and friend Michele and the rest of the team to grow the business in the coming months and years.
“The growth needs to be safe and steady because compliance is key, but I am confident we can do it once people in the area become more aware of us,” says Alison.
“Recruiting and retaining good carers is important because I wouldn’t have a job without them, so we need to make sure we look after them.
“Caring is hard but rewarding. There’s something new every day; you will laugh every day, cry every day and when you stop doing this; then it’s time to leave care.”
Mum-of-three Alison has two grandchildren, although she admits that even when she’s not working, she never completely switches off.
“That’s because I love my job,” she says.