Lorna Logan is a Homecare Officer (Band 5) with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT). She has worked in the social care sector for 18 years.
After leaving school, Lorna worked in a local factory, but it later closed. At that time, Lorna had a young child, and her husband worked 9 to 5. She was looking for a position that would allow her to manage her childcare responsibilities.
Social Care Journey
A Home Care Worker position was advertised in 2006, which Lorna applied for. The role included working night/evening shift patterns, which helped accommodate her caring responsibilities. After working in the Coleraine area for one year, Lorna applied to “The Home from Hospital Team.” This team provided six weeks of reablement support to individuals, which Lorna enjoyed, as she was able to witness the person improving on their recovery journey. Lorna loves talking to people and found this work very satisfying.
While working as a Home Care Worker, Lorna completed all mandatory training and obtained the Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care in 2012.
In 2023, Lorna left her permanent Home Care Worker role but stayed on as a bank worker to take up a post as a Senior Healthcare Assistant in a GP practice. She wanted to undertake the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, as there were no opportunities for home care staff to avail of this qualification at that time. Unfortunately, due to COVID, there were no nurses available to oversee and assess staff undertaking the qualification in the GP setting, and she was unable to complete the Level 3 at that point. Lorna learned a lot working as a Senior Healthcare Assistant and enjoyed the role.
A part-time Homecare Officer position was advertised in Ballymoney for Mondays and Tuesdays. Lorna applied and was successful. She was also employed to work in the GP Practice on Tuesdays and Fridays, which clashed with her new role. Lorna spoke to her manager about changing her days, and her manager was very supportive, allowing her to work in the GP Practice on Thursdays and Fridays, and as a Homecare Officer on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, Lorna attended a maths essential skills course, obtaining her qualification in 2024.
Lorna then applied to the trust-wide waiting list, and eventually a full-time Homecare Officer position became available, which she successfully obtained. This is her current role, which involves managing a team of home care workers, ensuring their training is up-to-date, conducting supervisions and appraisals, undertaking reviews with service users and families, updating care plans, brokering new care packages, and ensuring all paperwork is completed.
At the time of her interview in February 2025, Lorna was about to start her Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care. She was looking forward to beginning the course, which will be delivered by the Health and Social Care Trust assessment centre.
Learning and Development Journey
Lorna has completed the required mandatory and refresher training, including:
- Medication training – completed every three years to ensure adherence to guidelines.
- Equality, good relations and human rights – completed every three years.
- Fire safety – completed annually.
- Manual handling – completed face-to-face in March 2022 and annually via DVD.
- Infection prevention and control – completed annually.
· Openness - completed in April 2022. Lorna found this very useful as the course focused on being open and honest, speaking up, raising concerns, and taking accountability for one's actions.
- Risk assessment – completed in November 2022 and refreshed every three years.
- Safeguarding Level 2 – completed face-to-face in September 2023; renewed every two years.
- Absence management – completed to understand and implement the policy effectively.
- Dysphagia training – completed in September 2023; refreshed every three years.
- Fraud awareness – a new course Lorna found beneficial in understanding everyone’s role in safeguarding public money.
- Food hygiene – completed in May 2024 and included an exam.
- Domestic violence awareness – delivered via Zoom, covering signs of abuse and reporting procedures, which Lorna found very beneficial.
As Lorna is still on the bank list, she continues to keep her training up-to-date to cover staff absences as needed.
She has also used the HSC Learn online system, which provides digital, classroom, and blended learning. Lorna values both face-to-face and online training:
“When you are in a room with other people, you can read the room better and discuss topics with others, but online provides flexibility and reduces travel, which is also beneficial.”
She has also accessed the NISCC website for research while completing qualifications.
In her current role, Lorna manages 18–20 staff. She enjoys the role but acknowledges that managing staff and service users can be challenging at times. She found the Manager’s Development course she completed in 2024 very beneficial. Delivered over three days in-person, it helped build her confidence and improve her managerial skills. The course covered topics such as dealing with stressful situations, having difficult conversations, and included access to a coach, which she found extremely helpful.
Lorna ensures her staff attend and complete their training. She is understanding of the challenges staff face due to caring responsibilities and provides support because she values continuous learning and development.
She highlighted the importance of medication training and ensuring new staff complete the “new starts training” and are competent to administer medication.
Lorna uses her supervision sessions to request training that supports her development. Her focus this year is completing the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, which she feels is relevant to her Homecare Officer role.
Career Progression
Lorna is interested in future career progression but is currently happy in her role. She would consider completing the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care (Adult Management), but would need to be in a position where she could access the qualification.
While Lorna enjoys her current role, she sometimes misses the face-to-face interaction with service users and families:
“In the management role, you’re a bit removed.”
In the future, she would like to take on a more enhanced or specialised, front-facing role, such as becoming an activities co-ordinator or working in a day opportunity setting organising care plans to support service users’ needs.
Care in Practice Framework
Lorna had not heard of the Care in Practice Framework before her interview but has since explored it on the NISCC website. She recognises its relevance to the social care sector and how it supports staff in continuous learning, development, and career progression.