A care worker from Reading has become the first mental health nurse employed by her company after progressing from a live-in care assistant role.
Kadijatu Koroma, who worked for Bluebird Care Reading, is sharing her story to encourage more people to consider a career in social care as a new report warns many overlook the profession’s long-term opportunities.
Originally from Sierra Leone and now living in Basingstoke, Ms Koroma moved to the UK as a qualified nurse before joining Bluebird Care Reading as a live-in care assistant.
Although she already held nursing qualifications, she said she did not initially realise she could become a registered nurse in the UK without returning to university.
After supporting older people living with dementia, she decided to pursue a career in mental health nursing. While continuing to work in care, she completed the required English language tests, passed both the Computer-Based Test and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and gained registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), becoming Bluebird Care’s first mental health nurse.
Bluebird Care said it supported Ms Koroma throughout the process with flexible working, training and encouragement.
Speaking about her journey, Ms Koroma said: “Becoming a registered Mental Health Nurse was a long journey, but the support I received from Bluebird Care made all the difference. Managers worked around my studies, encouraged me every step of the way and gave me the confidence to achieve my goal.
“I hope my story encourages others to see social care as the start of a rewarding career with so many opportunities.”
The story comes as the South East faces growing demand for care workers.
According to Skills for Care, the region’s adult social care workforce currently has around 275,000 posts, with approximately 18,000 vacancies. That figure is expected to grow to around 355,000 posts by 2040 as demand for care increases.
Bluebird Care’s new report, Untapped Opportunities: Building Meaningful Careers in Social Care, found that fewer than one in three people would consider working in the sector and calls for greater promotion of care careers in schools and colleges, clearer career pathways, more investment in training and stronger professional recognition.
Jonathan Gardner, chief executive of Bluebird Care, said: “Kadijatu’s journey shows just how much talent exists within social care when people are given the opportunity to develop. Her progression from Live-in Care Assistant to becoming our first Mental Health Nurse demonstrates that careers in care can open doors to specialist clinical roles while continuing to make a real difference to people’s lives.”
Ms Koroma’s experience is one of several featured in the report, which aims to highlight the range of career opportunities available within social care.
