Suzanne Thomas is a Homecare Co-ordinator employed by the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT). She has been in this role for six years.
Social Care Journey
Suzanne entered the sector between 2005 and 2009, working on several projects aimed at supporting young people leaving care or those needing assistance with housing, developing independent living skills, and accessing services, training, and benefits. During this time, she came into contact with the WHSCT fostering service and became a foster parent in 2006, feeling she had something to offer young people. Suzanne worked in the following projects:
- The North West Housing as a Foyer Assistant, supporting 16–25-year-olds in supported accommodation.
- The Young Independents supporting young people leaving care.
- Extern West as a Project Worker, providing a diversionary programme to young people with social work involvement. It was through this role that she was inspired to consider fostering with WHSCT.
- Foster Carer with WHSCT from 2006, initially providing respite care and later long-term care. Suzanne has fostered over 50 children and young people.
- Personal Advisor (PA), 16+ Team (Band 4): Suzanne worked part-time, supporting a young person in care with housing and pregnancy-related needs.
Suzanne, a single parent when she began fostering, has one adult daughter. She loves fostering, has learned immensely from it, and enjoys building relationships with young people and supporting their families.
After her project work, Suzanne changed career direction and applied for a Physio Assistant (Band 2) position at the local hospital, where she worked from 2009 until 2012. This was her first job involving direct patient contact.
She later worked in a renal unit as a Dialysis Coordinator (Band 3) from 2012 to 2014 in an administrative role that also involved patient interaction. This role was a significant learning experience as she learned about kidney dialysis and transplants.
She then became an Oncology Patient Tracker (Band 4), tracking patients with potential cancer diagnoses through investigations to treatment, ensuring targets were met. Suzanne found this role emotionally challenging as it involved patients she knew.
Suzanne returned to her previous role in the renal unit briefly before joining a new service called Acute Care at Home as a Medical Secretary (Band 4). This office-based role, without patient contact, did not suit her. The service was in its infancy, and her responsibilities included setting up the project, rostering, and managing registration PIN numbers. Missing direct engagement with people and families, she applied for a Social Work Assistant (Band 4) post in 2016, supporting older people in primary care.
Suzanne loved the Social Work Assistant role, which blended office work and community support to help people remain in their homes. She enjoyed collaborating with Homecare Co-ordinators and social workers to assist with assessments and agree care plans. Inspired, she applied for the Homecare Co-ordinator (Band 5) role in 2019.
In her current role, Suzanne works both in the office—managing the service and a team of home care workers—and in the community, conducting care planning reviews and engaging with older people and their families. She manages a team of 39 home care workers who help older people stay at home, providing personal care, medication support, and assistance with daily living skills.
“I have both office and community involvement, working as part of a MDT with other professionals to coordinate care and support for people. The role is so interesting—it's a people job. I love making a difference, supporting older people, hearing about their lives and backgrounds, their families when they were younger, what they achieved, and, as they became unwell and unable to care for themselves, knowing I was helping them stay in their homes and avoid burdening their families.”
Learning and Development Journey
Suzanne completed an NVQ in Early Years Care and Education in 1997.
In 2006, she completed a Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care at her local college.
She undertook mandatory induction training in Child Protection and Safeguarding to ensure she was safe to work with children and young people. In her PA role, she also received training in housing and benefits.
From 2009 to 2012, while working as a Physio Assistant, she completed a Level 3 Diploma in Allied Health Care and a Certificate in Dementia as part of the Adapted Dementia Care Pilot.
While in the renal unit, Suzanne completed courses in Palliative Care and Infection Control. Although formal training was limited, she took advantage of all training opportunities relevant to her role.
Since joining WHSCT, Suzanne has completed all mandatory and refresher training, including:
· Health and Safety,
· Infection Control,
· Fire Safety,
· Manual Handling,
· Adult Safeguarding.
Suzanne also completed additional training in the Mental Capacity Act, Whistleblowing, and Cyber Security.
As a Social Work Assistant, Suzanne was selected, as part of a pilot, to undertake the new Level 4 Diploma in Health and Social Care. Suzanne found the course enriching and practical, especially elements on governance, supervision/appraisals, management, multidisciplinary meetings, and report writing. She chose optional units in special needs, which helped her better understand young people’s needs and capacities.
Upon becoming a Homecare Co-ordinator, she promptly contacted the learning and development team to enrol in the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care (Adults Management). She transferred learning from the Level 4 qualification and only needed to complete 6–8 additional units. At this level, Suzanne carefully selected optional units aligned with her role. She found the qualification greatly enhanced her skills in staff management, governance, legal compliance, and understanding regulatory bodies (NISCC and RQIA).
“I always knew about policies and procedures but didn’t fully understand their impact. This qualification helped me focus more on them than when I was in Band 3 or 4, giving a deeper understanding of regulations, working time directives, whistleblowing, staff safety, and employee relations.”
Suzanne leads a dedicated team of social care practitioners who deliver high-quality home care services. She values the mutual respect between staff and management, feels privileged to be their manager, and acknowledges the challenges of leadership, especially during difficult times. She emphasises negotiation, listening, and valuing the expertise of those on the ground.
She recognises the importance of supporting her staff to learn and develop, and has supported some to complete the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care. Two team members were also supported to progress to office-based co-ordinator roles, and others have transitioned into nursing or social work.
Suzanne feels supported in her career progression, always seeking opportunities to gain experience and skills. Passionate about leadership, she is interested in pursuing a Level 6 or 7 qualification. She is not looking to become a nurse or social worker, as she prefers to stay in a social care role that involves direct contact with service users, which her current role offers.
Care in Practice (CiP) Framework
Suzanne believes the CiP Framework is excellent—flexible, inclusive, and adaptable for everyone. She feels it will support social care practitioners and contribute to the professionalisation of the social care workforce.