The Surrey and South London chapter of a prominent care provider have launched a a recruitment drive to better support vulnerable residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Caremark provide support services and care for vulnerable children, adults and old people in Sutton, Epsom and Ewell, Reigate and Banstead.

Spokesperson Debbie Binner said Caremark needed more paid carers to better support the region's most vulnerable people, from children to the elderly, as the Covid-19 coronavirus made care provision all the more important and difficult.

Surrey Comet: CaremarkCaremark

Speaking with the Comet on Thursday (March 19), Debbie described how the care sector had been impacted by the epidemic and how it could also provide for other workers who had taken a hit in recent weeks.

"The demand on our service is going up a lot but we have care workers who have to self-isolate if they contract symptoms or come into contact with a symptomatic person so we need more carers now.

"What we're doing is going out into other industries and recruiting people who work for example in the gig economy and have really good people skills like hairdressers, retail workers, personal trainers.

"We have really good policies to get people trained, up and ready and out caring for people as soon as possible."

Debbie pointed out that Caremark have trained people for social caring roles within three days, but were working in line with governmental advice on safety checks to speed this process up even further.

She reflected that while the Covid-19 epidemic had hit the care service industry, others who might have lost their jobs due to the epidemic could find new work quickly in the region with organizations like Caremark.

"We're trying to help people who are worried about staying afloat during these times. A lot of people don't realize that you don't necessarily need experience to work in care, it's more about attitude.

"We can do all the rest, we can train you and so many employees speak about how rewarding it is," Debbie said.

Caremark and other social care providers have signalled the heightened need for their services in recent weeks as the epidemic begins to take hold in the UK.

Not only do they provide support for residents who might not be as high priority during an epidemic, they also keep vulnerable people out of hospital and relieve pressure on the NHS.

"Careworkers desperately care about their clients and are doing amazing work despite this epidemic — we just need more of them," Debbie said.

Caremark's website have more details on how to get a job as a carer in Sutton, Epsom and Ewell, Reigate and Banstead.