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#CelebratingSocialCare: Care - a social care documentary

Continuing our #CelebratingSocialCare campaign, we wanted to explore an upcoming social care documentary which hopes to shine a positive light on the dedication and passion of those working in adult social care.

‘Care’ is a documentary film which was recorded inside a North East care home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film captures the ups and downs of life in the home over 12 months through the eyes, words, and newly learnt camera skills of those working and living there.

The film is a call to action to improve working conditions for care staff, and welfare for residents, through giving a voice to care workers to support change in care-related policy and public awareness. We spoke to Alastair Cole, the film’s director, and Nicky Jones, one of the participants in the film.

Alastair Cole – Director

The idea for this documentary came from some of my colleagues here at Newcastle University, Professor Andrew Newman and Professor Karen Ross, both of whom work in Media, Culture and Heritage, and with the Centre for Ageing and Inequalities here at the University. At the time, they were conducting some research around engagement with arts within a social care context, which eventually led us to wanting to get an in-depth look at life in a residential care setting.

Around 2021 and 2022, when we began considering this documentary, the public narrative around care as a whole was very negative because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, my colleagues and I were aware, through our broader research, that care staff were doing a remarkable job and sacrificing a huge amount to deliver quality care, and this story was really struggling to be heard by the public. We wanted to give a voice to those delivering care, and those being supported.

Obviously, during this time, it wasn’t safe or appropriate for a camera crew to enter a care environment. We realised that the best way to capture the story and do it in a way that enabled us to get the most authentic insight possible, was to allow care staff to shoot the film themselves. Our only involvement in the filming process was to provide online training to staff on how to use the cameras we provided. We never set foot in the home - they picked what they filmed and, ultimately, how it was portrayed.

The staff were able to capture the reality of relationships that develop between carers and those they support - the happy, funny and incredibly challenging moments – all with complete rawness. What really struck us on review of the footage was the incredible level of dedication care staff show to their profession. So many of the staff we watched were giving up their personal lives to ensure they could be there for those they support. Many of them were doing it so they could be there during the final moments of a supported person’s life as their family was not able to see them.

I believe this approach has been crucial to delivering what we believe to be a truly unique documentary. Although COVID-19 now seems like a thing of a past to many, this documentary stands as a testament to the remarkable sacrifice made by care staff then and now. The perspective we were able to capture was integral to delivering this message.

The documentary became part of history when it was submitted as evidence to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry in 2024 and it makes me very happy to see our work being used to inform decisions made about similar events in the future. Beyond the screen, the aim of Care is for it to serve as a catalyst for a nationwide campaign designed to drive real change for greater recognition of care staff, better working conditions and, ultimately, the highest quality care for those being supported.

Nicky Jones – documentary participant and former care home director

For 25 years, my family owned and ran the care home which is the focus of this documentary. While it was in our family, it was very much a family affair, and I was involved for around 16 of those 25 years. I eventually took on full responsibility, especially as my mum and dad began to take a step back – although, truth be told, none of us ever really stepped away. Other family members worked there and even lived on-site. It was a true family environment.

Not long after a documentary was filmed there, we made the incredibly tough decision to sell the home. But I didn’t leave social care behind – I now work with young adults with special needs in Northumberland.

The documentary came about quite naturally. We’d always been keen to get involved with creative projects at the home. Before entering social care, I was a drama teacher, so I’ve always believed in including the arts in care. Georgia, who also appears in the documentary, had a background in fine art and filmmaking, and it all just seemed to click. Professor Andrew Newman from Newcastle University got in touch – we’d worked with him before on another project – and when we met the team behind the film, it just felt right.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we felt incredibly isolated, left to cope without support. So having people take a genuine interest in what we were doing was a real boost. It was also a brilliant opportunity for the people who lived at the home to share their stories. You can see from the film that we had a great time making it and it brought such a different energy to our daily lives.

One of the biggest reasons we took part was to challenge the negative perceptions of residential care. My mum, who came from an NHS background, was always struck by how people spoke about care homes, people would say to her “We don’t want to end up in a home”. But we knew that the experience at our home was a positive one. It was a community, a place filled with laughter, stories, and care. The people we supported were individuals with rich histories, brilliant senses of humour, and so much still to offer. Those personalities don’t just disappear with age.

We also wanted to shine a light on the staff. The work they do is demanding and deeply undervalued. It was important to us that people saw just how much they give, and how little recognition or support they often receive.

The filming itself was such a fun process. I’m no tech expert, but the kit was simple to use and accessible. We handed cameras to staff, even capturing night shifts, which you rarely get to see, and the residents had a go as well. It made everything so interactive and helped us see things in a completely different light.

If there’s one thing I hope people take away from the documentary, it’s that social care is full of joy. Yes, it’s hard work. But it’s also full of meaning, connection, and purpose. It's not clinical or cold. It’s not dreary. It’s alive. We had pets, our dog and cat were part of the family, and we welcomed visitors with open arms. Even during the challenges of COVID, we did everything we could to keep that warmth alive.

I do hope the documentary helps shift how people see social care – not just those receiving it, but those delivering it too. It’s a real profession. A vital one. And it deserves far more respect, better funding, and real investment.

If the documentary helps others see that too, then I’ll feel we’ve done something really worthwhile.

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