RHS Home Care employed 12 people when it was established in 1999. It now employs 500 people across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The good news is that it has 50 to 60 new positions to fill in the coming weeks, as it expands into Sligo and Leitrim.

RHS Home Care provides a home care service for clients, often elderly, who wish to remain living in their own homes.

The service is delivered to those who are allocated both home help hours and home care packages by the HSE, while also providing a private care service to those who do not qualify for HSE packages.

RHS Home Care is the first social care co-operative of its kind in Europe. It’s a not-for-profit co-op with a charitable status and was founded by a voluntary board of management. Any money made is pumped back into the organisation.

RHS Home Care is looking for employees with a FETAC Level 5 carer qualification.

MD Veronica Barrett says that many of the carers are farmers’ wives and part-time farmers. Flexible working hours is the name of the game in this business.

“A lot of our people don’t want full-time work,” says Veronica. “They have kids in school. Part-time work is very feasible. We try very hard to work around the carers ability.

“We have lots of mothers in their 40s, young mothers and single parents with one child. They could be available from 9.30am till 3pm. They’ll drop their kids to schools and then they’ll go care. They’ll then collect their kids and later on go off for the night call. We try to keep within a 10 mile radius of where they live.”

Veronica also notes that an increasing number of male carers are working with them.

“The ideal employee would have a caring nature that would come across. They would not be short-tempered. They’d make the client feel they’re there for them. People want a chat – often about whatever is topical in the community. Make them feel they’re part of what’s going on, but if you’re going to two or three clients, confidentiality is very important.”

It is also important that candidates have their own transport. Supervisors are constantly on the road monitoring how the service is provided.

Maybe this is why in May of this year, RHS Home Care was awarded the ISO 9001 quality award by Business Quality Assurance International (BQAI).

For more information, call the head office at 090-66-25988 or email info@rhshomeservices.ie.