What are Ocala's Values?

Ocala Healthcare and Ocala Recruitment are different businesses but the same at the core. Ocala Healthcare provides care to people with complex care needs, and Ocala Recruitment provides recruitment services to social care providers. Although one is a care business and the other is a recruitment business, the values for both are the same as we strive to improve social care in our little corner of the world.

Let’s have a look at our values and why we think this is important.

Your Best – Give your best to those you care for and those you work with.

The thing we love most about working in health and social care is that everything we do involves people. Whether we are caring for them, or they work for Ocala, another care provider, or the NHS/local authority. With this also comes a huge responsibility for us to do our best, because the amount of effort we give directly impacts the standard of care people receive, and great care is a fundamental element of living a happy life.

Appreciate Dedication – Dedicated, passionate, and persistent work deserves to be shouted about.

When you work in care, you are in the privileged position of knowing that everyday that you show up and give of yourself, you are making the world a little brighter for someone. We are surrounded by dedicated, passionate, and persistent people in care. People that most would argue, don’t get the appreciation and rewards they deserve. At Ocala we strive to be different, and to reward the consistent dedication of carers that is so often overlooked.

Courage – Say yes to opportunity and dare to challenge the status quo.

Nobody really likes change. Yet it happens all the time, and it is going to happen whether we like it or not. Therefore, we must challenge not only the status quo out there in society, but also the status quo that we ourselves have. That means questioning how we can improve our practice and having the courage to be innovative and chase opportunities.

Be Accountable – Take ownership and pride in your responsibilities.

Accountability and responsibility can sometimes be words that people find off putting. Even writing this, I can see the eye roll emoji forming in some people’s minds. But to most of us, responsibilities and holding ourselves accountable to them is directly linked to our sense of purpose. Being in control of our responsibilities makes us feel good and is confidence building. Taking ownership of the work you do and the care you deliver means better learning for yourself, and better care for those that we support.

Authentic - Always be true to yourself.

This takes another of our values, courage. It is so important to be true to yourself, if you are anything else it can create conflict with others but more importantly with yourself. At Ocala we work to be an organisation that genuinely works for the betterment of the people that work with us and those we care for. By being true to your values, principles, and sharing your ideas, we will continue to innovate better ways of working as our journey develops together.  

Integrity - Uphold the highest standards of honesty and doing the right thing.

Trust is fundamental to all relationships, whether that be colleagues or users of our services. Building relationships based on trust is essential to delivering excellent care and employment. Therefore, we must have the courage to be honest, even when it is tough to do so. We must choose to do the right thing, even if it would be easier not to. The cost of not doing so, means the loss of trust and once lost it can never be fully recovered. We all make mistakes, and its how we learn from them that makes us better. We don’t lose trust by making a mistake, we lose trust by not being upfront about it.

Enjoyment – Be purposeful in bringing joy to the workplace.

Work is such a big part of all our lives, so doing work that you enjoy and being part of a team is an important part of living a life well-lived. At Ocala we host and attend a range of events such as award ceremonies, the Suffolk Carer Appreciation event, the Suffolk Show, Christmas party, Carers Weeks Lunch, Rudolph Run and others!

Never Stop Learning – Fail fast, fail often. Treat each one as a learning experience.

The greatest learning experience is in the mistakes we make. The word fail has negative connotations, but it is an essential part of our development. At Ocala we believe that every failure brings us closer to our goals and not further away. This means saying yes to opportunity and learning quickly what is and is not working to continue pursuing an ever-enhanced level of care and support.

Resilience – Be unrelenting in your pursuit of your goal, despite the challenges.

Saying yes to opportunity, risking failure, being authentic to yourself, and taking responsibility is tough and presents challenges. It takes a great deal of courage and adaptability to face these challenges. Remembering the purpose of what we are trying to achieve, which is helping vulnerable people to live a more enjoyable and fulfilling life, helps us be more resilient in the face of adversity.

I hope this gives you a better insight into what it means to be part of the Ocala family. What are your personal values? If you are not sure, then click this link to check out this blog from the University of Edinburgh for how you can find out!

If you would like to find out more about Ocala Healthcare email info@ocalahealthcare.co.uk and if you would like to learn more about Ocala Recruitment email ipswich@ocalarecruitment.co.uk