Care home drivers: Getting staff home in snowstorm 'was a bit of an adventure'

Former shop owner Rajesh Vadera and ex-mayor of Newbury, Kuldip Singh Kang, are long-time friends who now work as part-time care home drivers because they were bored of retirement and wanted to get out and meet people again.

The duo, who work at Broadmead Rest Home in Woolton Hill, Berkshire, are very committed and even drove during the recent snowstorms. It was outside their normal shift hours and Kuldip says: “On one of the days we didn’t get back home until one in the morning”.

Both men take their shift handovers very seriously. Raj says: “It is very important; the residents rely on the driving team who are allocated their duties and need the carers to be able to get to the care home.”

‘We have a sense of duty to get staff home’

The care home is located in the village of Woolton Hill on the outskirts of Newbury in Berkshire. Its rural location means it’s essential to have reliable and conscientious drivers to get care staff to and from work, whatever the weather. Rajesh (known locally as Raj), Kuldip and a third driver, Michael Fishwick, all work in sync to make sure this works seamlessly.

Recent snow storms that swept the country meant many people in the UK stayed at home, but Raj and Kuldip, saw it as their personal duty to get care staff to where they needed to be.

Raj says: “When we had the snow recently, it was a bit of an adventure, because everyone was stranded, and the van had got stuck in the snow and basically Kuldip rang me and said to me, ‘Raj, not everyone can make it to work’ and, of course, we have a sense of duty to get staff home.”

Despite the fact that it was not his shift, Raj volunteered his services, using his car one day, using Kuldip’s on the second day, to replace the care home van stuck in snow.

The drivers, and friends worked together over two days to make sure they delivered staff safely to their homes - and didn’t arrive back home until 1am in the morning on one occasion.

Kuldip says he drove care workers in the snowy conditions, “because I thought it was important, because it’s like a hospital if nurses and doctors can’t, there might be consequences. Obviously, this is on a smaller scale in a care home, but still vital.”

Sub-postmasters missed interaction with their community

Before he went into retirement, Raj ran the local shop and post office in Woolton Hill and Kuldip had a similar set up, but in the market town of Newbury, nearby. He says: “I have known Kuldip for about 17 years, he was a sub-postmaster too, and so that’s how we got to know him. Also, he used to be the mayor of Newbury, and is still the deputy major.”

Raj and Kuldip knew each other for many years but became close friends more recently. Raj heard about the job of care home driver after visiting his friend for Diwali celebrations one year.

He explains: “It was Diwali, and you know, it’s a bit like you do at Christmas time, we went to visit to drop off some sweets. I’ve done this with Kuldip for many years, and he asked me, ‘Raj what are you up to these days?’, and I said, ‘not much really, apart from measuring the streets of Newbury!’”

Kuldip asked Raj if he would like to do a part-time job and Raj was keen to be doing some worthwhile work again and applied to drive at the care home. The role suits both men, who previously had very busy careers and missed being out in the community.

Although the drivers generally don’t interact with the residents themselves daily, Kuldip did take one resident for a spin in his sports car.

He said: “All the residents were asked to make a wish list of something they wanted to do. The wish of one of the residents was to drive a sports car, and the person who organised it asked if I knew anyone with a sports car, and as it so happened, I had one.”

He added: “So, I took the gentleman out for a short drive in my Porsche. He was over the moon as he’d never been in a sports car. Although he’s got dementia, he enjoyed what he was doing at the time and it brought back some memories for him.”

‘Care home driving fits in with my deputy mayor duties’

Raj explains the drivers all have rotas but can phone each other to change their shifts - which fits in with their lifestyles.

Kuldip, is a local councillor and a deputy mayor, and also enjoys ferrying his grandchildren around. He admits he likes the busy life and says: “As deputy mayor I cover for the mayor when they can’t attend a function. So, it’s a big contrast from the driving, which suits my lifestyle.”

He continues: “I do the driving to pass some time, but I enjoy getting the staff to work though; if the staff don’t turn up, people don’t get the care they need.”

The driver and local pillar of the community has advice for those looking to fully retire. He believes it’s important to keep occupied as much as possible, and says “I enjoy it, I love it. I sat at home for two years and was bored out of my mind. This job means getting out and meeting people on a regular basis, which is great.”

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