Main content

Episode 1

Burnt out from working as a clinical dietician in hospital, author Kathryn Faulke finds her options for work are more limited than she’d anticipated.

Kate never expected to become a home care worker. But when she left her role as a dietician in the NHS, burnt-out and disheartened, she thought caring for people in their own homes would be a simpler job. Despite being determined not to become too involved with her 'customers', she soon found herself developing firm friendships, forging deep connections and bearing witness to the extraordinary drama to be found in ordinary lives.

This is a book which reports from the frontline of an often unsung - and frequently maligned – profession. It offers a glimpse into the hidden lives of the housebound and infirm. Every Kind of People is clear-eyed about the challenges facing the NHS and the care system. But it is above all a celebration of humanity and of the life-changing impact of caring, on those who offer it and those who receive it.

Note from the author:
Most of the initial writing was done at the time when these events were happening, with the customers aware that I was writing about them as part of my own story. Sadly, many of these people have now passed away. Their names and many personal details have been changed to protect their identities but, since there are over ten thousand home-care agencies in England employing around half a million care workers supporting many thousands of vulnerable people, it is likely that the challenges faced by those in this book are replicated throughout the country on a daily basis.

Written by Kathryn Faulke
Abridged and Produced by Jill Waters
Read by Ayesha Antoine
The Waters Company for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

22 days left to listen

14 minutes

Last on

Last Tuesday 00:30

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from Every Kind of People by Kathryn Faulke

Broadcasts

  • Last Monday 11:45
  • Last Tuesday 00:30

Featured in...