Stronger person
Michele Mullins’s husband Graham once won the title of Britain’s Strongest Man, but few would argue there is a stronger person than her.
During her life, Caremark Doncaster Care Coordinator Michele has experienced various medical related setbacks which would have broken most, but she is made of much sterner stuff than that, and her 30-plus year career in care is testament to that.
The care sector may have been deprived of someone with Michele’s ability had it not been for a nasty fall she suffered when she was a qualified riding instructor which left her with three fractures of her spine.
After a slow recover, Michele married and had children, and whilst she was bringing them up, she took a part-time job in homecare and the rest is history.
During her career she has worked in various settings, including homecare, mental health, and the prison service. She also provided 1-1 personal care for a woman called Helen with cerebral palsy for a number of years.
Michele recalls: “Helen and I became friends, and I loved supporting her, but she sadly passed away and I vowed never to work in care.
“That lasted for three weeks after I went to work at an estate agent, and I learned there was only ever going to be on career for me.”
Michele then went to work as a unit manager at an autism service but one day, when she went to support her team during an incident, she was punched unconscious by a service user and suffered a broken cheek and jaw.
Even though she tried, she was unable to return, understandably, to that place of work, so Michele went to work part-time for a homecare company. This is where she first met Alison Springall, now the Registered Care Manager at Caremark Doncaster.
“Alison looked at my CV and said she didn’t want me to be a carer but a Field Care Supervisor. This lasted four days before I went full-time and I was later promoted to Care Coordinator,” Michele recalls.
A medical emergency then resulted in Michele having to spend 9 months in a wheelchair, but she continued working from home, until the hours became too much for her.
She adds: “Alison moved elsewhere to work so she got me the job as Manager at the last company we worked for and gave me the kick up the backside I needed telling me that my body may be broken but my mind definitely wasn’t.
Michele and Alison, whom she describes as her “mentor” and “my rock” are now back together at Caremark Doncaster.
As Care Coordinator, Michele is responsible for meeting new customers, including carrying out risk assessments and preparing care plans. She also assists Alison with all other areas of the day-to-day running of the company.
“We make a great team and our MD Yomi effectively got two managers for the price of one,” jokes Michele.
“It’s a new company which is great as we can put our own stamp on things, and I am really enjoying it.”
Outside of work mum-of-six Michele enjoys spending time with Graham, who as well competing in Strongman events has also acted in films such as Gladiator and Tristan + Isolde.