Peterborough care home offers jobs and accommodation to Ukrainian refugees

A Peterborough care home is offering work and accommodation to Ukrainian refugees coming to Peterborough.

The PJ Care, which runs the Eagle Wood centre in Bretton, wants to welcome up to 10 people of working age. The company will provide them with somewhere to stay and paid employment until they can return to their homes.

PJ Care’s Chairman, Neil Russell said: “Like many people, we have been moved by the terrible situation in Ukraine and feel we can do something to help.

“The difficulty we have is that, unlike families, there is no clear route for companies willing to offer a home to Ukrainian refugees. We would very much like to hear from individuals or organisations locally that we can work with to find people we could support.”

The Eagle Wood care centre is home to adults living with progressive neurological conditions such as Huntington’s disease and young onset dementia, and people with acquired brain injuries. The group recently lost 4 per cent of its team due to the mandatory vaccination scheme, which has now been scrapped, and has since been on a drive to recruit staff.

The company is open to taking Ukrainians aged 18 and over and will provide accommodation in Peterborough where they can easily access the care centre by public transport.

“While experience in care is often a bonus, it’s not a requirement for anyone wanting to work with us as we give excellent training,” added Neil. “The qualities of care, compassion and commitment are more important as they are skills we can’t teach you. Ideally we would like to offer places to those people who have good English.

“We will still be actively looking for staff from the local community alongside those from Ukraine.”

Staff at PJ Care comprise 44 different nationalities and the company is award-winning for its equality, diversity and inclusion policies.

Neil added: “We are conscious that people will need time to adjust to the loss of their homes and new surroundings, and the full support of our Wellbeing team will be available to them.”

For more information contact Arun Bassral at [email protected]