What are the qualities of a good carer?

When you’re hiring a carer, it’s easy to focus on experience and training. That stuff matters, but there are other factors that need to be considered too. The reality is, some of the best people in care aren’t the ones with the longest CV. They’re the ones who instinctively treat people with patience and respect.

These qualities don’t come from a course or a checklist. You can teach people how to use equipment properly or how to fill in a care record, but you can’t necessarily teach someone to care. If they’re not someone who looks out for others already, that’s going to show up (and quickly) in the way they support the people in your organisation’s care.

Qualities and characteristics of a good carer

Kindness and humility

Kindness is something you need in care. If it’s missing, the whole way someone works is affected. It’s not really about personality or being outgoing, it’s more about how they act when no one’s watching. Whether they speak to people properly, whether they notice how someone’s feeling, it all shows up in the small parts of the day.

Kindness makes people feel safe, builds trust and creates the kind of environment where service users are more relaxed and more likely to speak up when something’s not right. Some carers come in with a lot of experience and get stuck in their ways, yet others are newer but more open. They ask questions, they notice when something’s not working and try to do better next time. That kind of attitude makes them a better team member. And over time, a much better carer.

You want people who are confident, but not too proud to take feedback or admit they don’t know something yet as that’s where growth happens.

Being calm under pressure

Care work can turn on a dime; you can start the day thinking it’ll be straightforward and end up in the middle of a full blown crisis before lunch. When someone on your team stays calm, doesn’t panic or doesn’t lash out or disappear then the whole shift goes better.

Everyone picks up on it – service users included. Not every carer starts out calm in a crisis, but if they have the right temperament, they’ll learn how to manage themselves under pressure.

Reliability and dependability

Of course, you need people who actually show up when they’re meant to. But reliability goes further than that, it's whether they actually follow through. Whether they take the time to do something properly even if no one’s standing over them, and whether they treat every service user with the same level of care, not just the ones they get on with.

You’ll notice the difference when someone reliable and dependable joins your team. Things run more smoothly, there are fewer problems to chase and other carers feel more supported too.

Good communication

Not everyone’s naturally confident when it comes to talking, but that doesn’t matter as much as whether someone takes the time to explain things properly and whether they check someone’s understood. Whether they notice when something’s off and bring it up in a clear, respectful way.

Communication shows up in lots of small ways, through body language, tone of voice, listening properly when someone’s trying to explain how they like things done. Those sorts of things shape the whole experience of care.

Treating people with respect

You can have the best care plans and the most up to date training, but if your carers don’t have the right attitude, it shows. It shows in the way service users are treated and in the atmosphere of your home, and it absolutely shows in your outcomes.

If you want to keep standards high, you have to build a team with the right mindset, with people who respect the job and who don’t cut corners. People who understand that the way they behave directly affects the people they’re looking after too. The staff culture that you build makes a big difference.

Supporting your carers properly makes a difference

After all that effort to hire the right people, what happens next matters just as much. If they don’t feel backed up or they’re left chasing bits of paper round the office, it starts to show.

Staff retention can be an issue and some of the best carers leave because the day to day becomes too frustrating. It’s not always about the job itself, sometimes it’s the systems around it that make things harder than they need to be. You need something in place that actually helps and that keeps everything clear without adding another job to their list.

Using a platform, like Log my Care, gives your team the ability to access care plans, record notes, and communicate clearly without things getting lost or forgotten. This gives you some oversight without micromanaging, and it helps spot issues before they turn into something bigger.

Care management software, like Log my Care, effectively supports you in showcasing the quality of care you provide. Regardless of your service size, having the flexibility and oversight that comes with a digital care plan can empower you to easily deliver the best care. Contact us today to find out more.