When the pandemic hit the UK in early 2020, Britain’s already fraught healthcare system suffered in ways that most of its citizens didn’t even notice. 

Hospitals, local services, and local care agencies all over the UK, including Dorset, became inundated with concerns over struggling patients who needed urgent help and support. 

Those at serious risk, such as the elderly, mental health patients and those requiring adult social care became urgently concerned over how they would receive support services during such a critical time. 

The Care Crisis

Before the pandemic hit, Julie Hiener had worked as a live-in carer health professional for eleven years. In 2019, she settled into the village of Charlton Down and started offering her invaluable expertise in the domiciliary care field. However, by March 2021 the care crisis had begun, leading to growing concerns over those who were at serious risk.

Carers were providing many extra hours’ service than required, working round the clock even on bank holidays and other public holidays to try and provide much-needed community service.

Who Was Affected by the Care Crisis?

Those with mental ill-health 

Individuals suffering from poor mental health were at serious risk during the Care Crisis, as they were often unable to look after themselves. 

Further, during the pandemic many found themselves burdened with additional mental health issues as they struggled to care for both themselves and for those around them. All in all, poor mental health escalated during the pandemic, putting a bigger strain on the care sector.

The elderly 

The elderly community was affected greatly because of the care crisis. Many of these individuals had no one to help them, often feeling isolated and vulnerable in their own homes. Others felt like they couldn’t get the support that they needed from family members, friends, and carers due to restrictions and government guidelines. 

Those needing adult social care 

Adults suffering from more serious mental health conditions that required live-in care services also needed support. As the pandemic took hold, these individuals felt even more isolated because they were facing a critical health situation alone.

Those needing child-care 

Parents with children who required child-care also took a huge blow. During the care crisis, there were far fewer childcare staff available, resulting in longer waiting times. This severely affected parents’ ability to work and contribute financially to their families.

Social Care Crisis Dorset

Throughout Dorset and other regions in the UK, normal daytime contact numbers for the local authority and local support organisations were flooded with callers, all urgently worried about the welfare of those who need the most support. 

The Dorset local community and the Dorset council all offered as much help as they could, giving access support to the most vulnerable and aiding care agencies in various ways. However, as is expected during a crisis, much more support was continually needed. 

Private Care Dorchester’s role

Crisis in Dorset

When this crisis point reached Dorset, Julie found she was working doubly hard to support people who needed it most, providing many extra hours’ service to help the local people of Dorset in the domiciliary care sector. With the escalating crisis, Julie Hiener found that she was struggling to fulfil her compassionate duties as a carer alone because of increasing demands on her time. 

Julie Hiener’s Determination

It became clear that something needed to change if she was going to make sure the vulnerable people in the private care sector received the support they desperately needed. 

After much thought and consideration, Julie took the decision to her expand her services. To carry on providing her top-quality care services which were now so desperately needed, Julie Hiener decided she needed more carers to assist her and took immediate action, building a trustworthy team of seven more carers. 

As an emergency response to the pandemic and as a way to keep giving life-saving support, Private Care Dorchester Ltd was created as a care introduction agency.  Private Care Dorchester Ltd is not CQC regulated and does not wish to become a registered domiciliary care agency, focussing on the introduction of self employed Carers.

The Importance of Dorset’s Care Workers 

Julie Hiener knows that there are many care workers who have been providing support to those in serious need since the pandemic crisis began. And since the 5th of November 2021, Private Care Dorchester became a care introduction agency so that self employed carers in Dorchester can carry on providing their essential services to the community.

Private Care Dorchester’s motto

The Private Care Dorchester motto of, ‘On time, every time, one hour at a time,’ is integral to them, and each self-employed carer aims to meet those expectations. Julie Hiener’s ethos revolves around always putting the client first, focusing on their individual needs and adapting to each situation. Her person-centred approach is at the heart of Self Employed Private Carer, as she believes every single client is important and deserving of the utmost care and attention and it is hoped that the Private, Self Employed Carers introduced through Private Care Dorchester will continue with this tradition.

That’s why, during the good and the bad, Private Care Dorchester have the goal of making a difference in someone’s life by helping them find the right carer for them. 

As an introductory agency, Private Care Dorchester Ltd aims to keep screening and introducing carers to those who need the most care. There’s no telling if or when another crisis in the care sector will occur. But through Private Care Dorchester, Julie has ensured that there will always be compassionate and thorough individuals such as herself available to give as much support as possible to the community in Dorchester. And Julie is available, herself, as Private Self Employed Carer in Dorchester and surrounds, giving as she always has.

Please refer to the latest news from the BBC for more detail on the worsening Care Crisis https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61413697