A DEMENTIA care company based in Crewe has launched a recruitment drive to cope with the pressures of the pandemic.

Belong Care Village in Brookhouse Drive are hiring for roles in care and hospitality as well as community support worker roles providing home care under the Belong at Home service.

Across the region Belong is taking on 40 staff as it looks to expand its teams to accommodate the increasing workload needed to make sure residents and staff are safe from infection.

More hands on needed on board to ensure regular Covid-19 testing, maintain enhanced cleaning routines and cope with the impact of staff having to self-isolate.

Belong says it is bolstering its staff numbers to continue to ensure the "highest quality of care for its village residents and customers receiving support within their own homes".

Kathryn Farmer, general manager at Belong Crewe, said: "We are all learning to adapt to Covid-19 and for Belong, this has brought increased demands, both in caring roles and a range of administrative and housekeeping functions.

"We are gearing up for the future and ensuring we continue to provide high quality support to our residents and customers."

New recruits will benefit from dedicated mentors while they gain experience and where applicable, qualifications for entry level support workers.

Last year Belong shortened its application process by increasing its use of technology and digital channels, including carrying out interviews via video calling and accepting identification and DBS documentation via messaging apps.

That meant the average time from application to appointment was reduced significantly and Belong was able to widen its recruitment and take on staff from a range of backgrounds, including career changers.

The launch of the campaign comes after the successful completion of the first doses of Covid-19 vaccinations for staff and residents last month.

Ms Farmer added: "While there are a number of administrative impacts of Covid-19, our biggest area of focus remains on resident wellbeing, and supporting residents to lead active, fulfilling lives, and maintaining their relationships with family and friends in the wider community.

"Our focus across all recruitment is finding people who share our values and are inspired to make a difference to the lives of older people."

Belong specialises in supporting people with dementia, and 24-hour care is provided in extended family sized households. All staff are trained in dementia awareness

For further information about the roles go here.