It’s hard to summarise everything that our Care Service does.

To put it simply, it enables unpaid carers who are supporting a loved to have a regular break. We take over their care role, supporting people of all ages with a range of disabilities and illnesses. Our team help the person with care needs with:

• Getting up and going to bed
• Washing and personal grooming
• Bathing
• Using the toilet
• Personal hygiene
• Dressing and undressing
• Taking prescribed medication
• Eating, drinking and PEG feeding
• Managing incontinence
• Shopping, bill paying or other transactions
• Accessing a course, activity or meeting in the community.
• Providing company

Not many people know about everything that we do. We’re not like a typical domiciliary care service or just a ‘sitting service’. For some people, we’re the only support out there. They depend on our service and really value what we do. Some are desperate for a break, otherwise they would have to give up their caring role.

Michelle Dowling, Care Service Manager.

Meet Our Team

The Care Service is led by Michelle Dowling who joined us in 2021, bringing extensive experience from across the care sector. Michelle has worked with people with mental ill-health, supported children in residential care with severe and complex needs, worked with adults with brain injuries, and managed community-based care services. As the Care Service Manager, Michelle has overall responsibility for staff management and support, service scheduling, safeguarding, and ensuring services are delivered to a high quality.

I enjoy the challenge and fast pace of the office. I most like working closely with staff and clients and going home at end of day knowing I’ve made a difference.

Michelle Dowling, Care Service Manager.

Julie Bradley is our Care Coordinator and has been with the organisation since 1997. Julie started with us as a Carer Support Worker out in the community before joining our office team, where she draws on years of social care experience. Julie is now kept busy carrying out service assessments, scheduling appointments, and making quality assurance visits to check that services meet high standards.

The things I most like about my job are meeting carers themselves and knowing I can make a difference to their lives. I also really like the diversity of people that we work with. I don’t think I’d enjoy working with just one age group or health condition as much.

Julie Bradley, Care Coordinator.

Thomas Brown is our Assistant Care Co-ordinator and joined us in 2022 as an apprentice. Tom has been working in health and social care since 2010, when he started work as Health Care Assistant before becoming a Senior Health Care Assistant. As well as supporting Julie, Tom has taken a lead role in setting up a new training programme for our Carer Support Workers which has also benefitted staff from across the organisation. Tom has organised training covering topics such as autism, learning disabilities, safeguarding and dementia, as well as care planning and the app technology that we now use to manage services.

What do I like most about my job? No two days are the same. One day I could be visiting a family with a disabled child, the next I could be visiting an older adult with dementia, the next it could be a person with autism.

Thomas Brown, Assistant Care Coordinator.

Karina Sikorska joined us in 2011 as a Central Service Administrator and provides support to the Care Service Team. While she doesn’t have a social care background, Karina’s extensive experience of working in busy office environments is invaluable and the service could not manage without her. Karina maintains the service database, monitoring records and archive system, ensuring that service data is stored correctly and can be easily accessed when needed. Karina also carries out human resource tasks for the Care Service, such as supporting Carer Support Worker recruitment and ensuring staff records are kept up to date.

What do I like best about my job?

I like everything! 

Karina Sikorska, Central Service Administrator.

And, of course, there’s our team of Carer Support Workers!

They’re out across Gateshead every day, providing vital support to our families and carers.

A Typical Day in the Care Service Office.

Every day is different in the Care Service office. If you were to look in today, you might find the team answering phones, taking new service referrals, organising rotas, arranging sickness and holiday cover, responding to sudden service changes or ironing out problems that families might be experiencing. Or staff might be out in the community carrying out new service assessments or quality checks.

The office is fast-paced. At times you can feel under pressure and that there’s not enough hours in the day.

Michelle Dowling, Care Service Manager.

On some days you might even see some of our Carer Support Workers coming in for training or support meetings. Lately the team have been even busier as they’ve had their heads down transferring data onto a new app that they will use to manage services.
And this doesn’t even include the work that the office team and our Carer Support Workers do to support our Friday Hub and pop-up charity shop!

Get in Touch

The Care Service supports people across Gateshead of all ages and health conditions.

They can carry out almost any task that helps to give a carer a regular break. You can read more about the services they offer here.

To enquire about the support that we could offer you, click here to get in touch or give us a call on 01207 549780.