Family carers who would like to use their skills in the paid workforce can be considered for vacancies at Bupa Care Services! By Marion Burgess

Carers NZ cornerstone partner Bupa Care Services (formerly Guardian Health Care) is concerned that family carers are often unable to find flexible paid employment.

Gina Langlands, General Manager Care Services, says articles in recent issues of Family Care highlight the difficulties carers face when trying to support loved ones while also earning a living.

Employment opportunities for carers

Bupa would like family carers to know that it is interested to hear from those seeking paid employment, as it often has vacancies at its rest homes, hospitals, retirement villages, and other operations around the country.

"We can't promise to find every carer a job, but we do often have vacancies that might be of interest to family carers, and we pride ourselves on being a flexible employer."

Gina acknowledges that many carers regard employment as a break from their support role at home, and may not wish to undertake paid work doing similar tasks.

"Our facilities employ people with all kinds of skills, not just caring. Having said this, family carers typically have very strong experience as carers, and there is a severe shortage of these skills in New Zealand. Like many other providers, we're very interested in finding caring, compassionate people with support experience to fill such vacancies at our facilities. Family carers need to know that their skills are in high demand with employers."

Returning to paid work

Like many health service providers, Bupa is being proactive to ensure its facilities are fully staffed despite New Zealand's care worker shortage.

It has a relationship with Work and Income through which it has trained several dozen people aged 17 to 50 who were receiving benefits, and are now transitioning into paid employment.

Through the Straight To Work programme, many of these former benefit recipients are now working in positions at Bupa facilities.

Bupa is helping others find jobs with its competitors.

Helping competitors is not typical corporate behaviour, but Gina says service providers are now more in favour of collaboration to solve the common dilemma of New Zealand's shortage of care workers and Registered Nurses.

We're all in the same boat, and need to find solutions in partnership."

Recognition and qualifications

With Bupa, family carers are able to have their skills formally recognised and receive a Careerforce qualification, plus practical workplace experience for their CV.

Carers NZ is working with Bupa and relevant government agencies to use its flexible, innovative approach to helping family carers back into paid work as a model for other employers.

We will keep you informed of progress with these relationships in future Work Life Care! articles.

Meanwhile, if you are interested in learning more about Bupa and its operations around the country, visit its website, http://www.bupa.co.nz/

Bupa is a global health and care leader with more than 60 years of experience, and more than 10 million customers in 195 countries. Bupa originally stood for the British United Provident Association. It has not-for-profit status and no shareholders, so all profits are used to provide quality services for its customers around the world.

In New Zealand Bupa's services include the provision of personal medical alarms, specialist dementia care, rehabilitation, and day care.

Vacant positions that arise from time to time at Bupa's dozens of facilities nationwide range from caring roles to administration, household services, maintenance, and more, says Gina.

Family carers who would like to talk to Bupa about possible vacancies should phone Natalie Yakas on (09) 909 5562 or (0800) 60 80 99 (ask to speak to Natalie).

You can email your inquiries to natalie.yakas@bupa.co.nz

Bupa vacancies can also be found online at the employment site www.seek.co.nz