You don’t know what you have until it’s gone!

The phrase ‘you don’t know what you have got until it’s gone’ is certainly apt for Leah Blyth. Having joined Caremark Redcar and Cleveland in 2019, Leah decided in 2022 that she wanted to do something completely different. She left to become a housekeeper in a hotel.

“I absolutely hated it and realised care was the job for me. Thankfully, Caremark were happy to take me back,” she says.

“It was only when I wasn’t there that I realised how good working for Caremark is, whether it’s the customers or staff. In a way, leaving was a good thing as it’s made me appreciate even more now.”

Leah has made a great impression on her customers

Since returning in early 2024, Leah has made a great impression on her customers. This resulted in her winning our Carer of the Year award for the East Cleveland area, with six nominations.

“It was a huge shock when my name was read out but it was lovely that people had taken time out to put my name forward. It’s nice to be recognised for what you do at work,” says Leah.

“Looking back, even though I originally worked in retail and then spent over a year in the leisure industry, I was always destined to work in care.

“When I was five, I used to help care for my grandmother and did that until she passed when I was a teenager. Then I helped my aunt look after my uncle. A lot of the things I did then I do now as a professional carer.”

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Leah has some good advice for people thinking about working in homecare for the first time.

“I always say to new starters when they are shadowing me that you are going into their safe place. So, you have to get to really understand and know them if you want to do your job properly,” she says.

“It’s a great job working for a great company which works around you and your own personal circumstances. For example, if you need to be around for the school run.”

In the new year, Leah will be combining her current role with a new one. She will be training new starters as part of our new in-house training team.

“I am looking forward to it as it gives me the best of both worlds. I still get the interaction with the customers. Then I can pass on what I have learned to people joining us who may not have worked in homecare before,” says Leah.

In her spare time Leah is kept busy with her two young children but enjoys spending time with her partner. She indulges in her love of gaming, particularly her “obsession” with the classic game Tomb Raider.

About Caremark Redcar & Cleveland

If you would like to join Leah as a member of our Caremark blue family, please view our care jobs in Redcar and Cleveland.