ROSALIND Watt is an operations coordinator at Beyond Limits, based in Lochmaben and covering Dumfries and Galloway
It is a small organisation providing support to people with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other support needs.
But when the Covid pandemic hit earlier this year, she stepped out of her usual day job in the office and into a support role.
She said: “I joined a very small care provider, Beyond Limits, in October 2018 as an admin assistant. My job has developed since then and I’ve recently been promoted to operations coordinator.
“When the pandemic struck there was a huge amount of concern about any of our staff team catching the virus. We are a very small team who work regularly to support the same person, so we realised that we really needed to employ at least one bank worker.
“This was my time to step up! I’ve never considered doing support work. I’ve always been a systems and procedures person, but I took on the challenge.”
After her induction training, Rosalind registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and started shadowing others until it was time for her first shift alone.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it, which was not what I expected,” she said. “The whole team have dug deep and continued to go out to work in
extremely worrying times, so there was no reason for me not to do likewise.
“I’ve learned a lot. Not only about what the rest of the team do on a daily basis, but it’s giving me a good all-round view of how the organisation works, not just from an office worker’s perspective.”
Now back at her desk, she hopes to continue support shifts and added: “I’ll continue to be a bank worker after this is all over and I’m really
pleased to be adding a new string to my bow which I would never have done in normal circumstances.
“I work with an amazing team and it’s not just me that’s gone over and above at this strange time. They have all risked their health, and that of their families, to go out every day to provide much needed support to the vulnerable adults we support.”
The Beyond Limits Care at Home Service and Rosalind’s account are featured in a new national resource put together by the SSSC regulator to share the stories of how the sector adapted to meet the challenges of the pandemic.
It can be viewed online at www.sssc.uk.com/inspiringcarestories and SSSC chief executive Lorraine Gray said: “We are absolutely delighted to share these wonderful stories, each one showing the skill, care and commitment of our social services workers during Covid-19.
“Care is not a job that anyone can do. You need the right values and skills as shown in these stories. Every one of them really is an Inspiring Care Story and shows how social service workers do life changing work every day.”
