Former chef wins Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s agency care worker crown

A former chef is celebrating winning the annual agency care worker of the year crown, just a year after she started working in social care.

Alison Smith, from Hull, who works mainly in domiciliary care for agency NL Group, won the award organised by agency umbrella body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, as part of its annual National Temporary Workers Week, which begins tomorrow.

Alison, a chef for 15 years, said family and friends had long felt social care would suit her, but added: “I didn’t really think I was cut out for it, maybe because I was a chef and it’s really different. But I took to it like a duck to water. It was a true vocation.”

Despite criticisms, including from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, that too many service users receive home care in short slots and from many different carers, she said she had developed strong relationships with clients.