Gosforth-based Be Caring, the UK's largest employee-owned social care provider will give out winter supplies including a blanket to carers and clients.
Employees will receive a £250 tax-free bonus to help them over the Christmas period, which is increasingly important this year due to the cost of living crisis. They will also be given a bag of essential items for when they are travelling to people's homes in the dark and the rain. This includes a poncho, torch, alarm and badge.
Clients will also be given a gift on top of the high quality care that they receive, with a blanket being given to every one of them to keep them warm in the winter months.
Chief executive Sharon Lowrie believes that the economic model of the organisation works well in being able to give bonuses such as this to carers.
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"Here at Be Caring we have no investors, 100% of any money that comes in goes straight back into the organisation. Whether it goes towards paying staff members, getting new equipment or facilitating specific personal training, the money will be used in order to help the people that need it the most.
"The growth of the organisation has been remarkable, from two terraced houses just two or three years ago, to now having the facilities that we do. We try to give employees little things such as free parking in order to say thank you for the great work that they do."
It is the training mentioned by Sharon that James Lafferty and David Marsh had to use when they least expected it. While they were out with a service user, having just had lunch in IKEA, the unthinkable happened and the client went into cardiac arrest.
"He just collapsed to the floor. He started going blue and my training just kicked in. I feel like it is installed into me after being trained for several years and myself and David were able to do CPR and bring him back," said James.
James' colleague and member of the management team Karen Ford echoed his sentiments about the training that support workers receive.
"Ultimately, it is about having the tools to do it. CPR is not just a skill for your job, it is a skill for life. I have heard of several people who work in the care sector saving the lives of friends and family using CPR," she said.
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