A hiring manager has been left open-mouthed after more than a thousand people applied to work at his new care home in Norwich.

Few industries struggle to find staff as much as the care sector, but for Avery Healthcare’s new home on Mousehold Lane, managers are struggling to keep up with the unprecedented number of applications they’ve received.

Manager Nigel Reeve said he was expecting around 20 people to apply, due to the high number of care workers leaving the sector since the pandemic.

But his expectations were blown out of the water when he received a total of 1,021 applications to join the team.

He said: “I was quite amazed because I’d been expecting hiring to be one of the biggest challenges. 

“Working in care isn’t going to be the most well-paid job, so you have to find people that really love it.

“We easily filled the 32 roles we had available, which is just fantastic.”

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Mr Reeve believes that what helped Mousehold View Care Home was being active on social media. 

Avery Healthcare regularly shares posts on Facebook featuring its staff and residents, which the Norwich manager believes helped prospective employees get a feel for the culture within its homes.

He said: “Social media platforms make such a difference because you can show the personality of the place on there, and that helps people understand what we’re about.

“One of the most common reasons people said they applied was because of our ethos, which makes sense because we like to do things differently here.”

Although the home does not open until October 9, Mr Reeve said they’re already looking forward to the next hiring round once residents settle in.

He added: “It’s a heartwarming feeling to know so many people agree with what we’re doing and want to work with us.”