Several years ago, I went through the rigmarole that many my age face when I had to look for care for my grandfather. When I investigated care providers, I was appalled at the standard of service and poor communication that seemed to be widespread.

I decided that I wanted to do it better so, I set up my own company, West Park Care in Harrogate and now Ilkley, to support clients who want quality care for their nearest and dearest to allow them to live in their own homes.

What I’ve discovered over the past five years of running it is that one of the biggest issues is that the carers usually work solo and they can easily become isolated.

To combat this, we recently introduced new ways to support our carers. This ultimately benefits our clients – the elderly and those with complex care needs – as happy carers mean happy clients.

Our carers are highly trained

Firstly, we give our carers two weeks of in-depth training. Compared to most other care providers who ask them to do a quick e-learning course and then send carers off to clients’ houses the next day, it is vastly different. It gives the carers confidence in knowing they are properly trained and it gives our clients peace of mind they are being looked after well.

We also picked the cream of the carers and promoted them. Creating senior care roles and supervisor roles, we promoted these employees from within. These carers know the high standards we expect in our company and look for ways to make sure they are met.

Reviews & Spot checks

When we meet a new client, we always do a review with them after six weeks and then after that regular reviews depending on their level of need. If we notice any client has too much or too little care, we report it and adjust it.

Our supervisors also do spot checks to make sure for example staff are wearing PPE and to spot any potential training needs. It also gives them an ongoing opportunity to talk to clients to see how they’re doing and if they need any extra support.

We work together

Many care companies suffer a disconnect between the office team and carers – a sort of ‘them and us’ culture but we don’t operate like that. The office team go into the community and all our staff work together.

Finally, and most importantly, we make sure our clients feel loved. We all need human connection to thrive, so all our employees are well-versed in the importance of taking time to talk to our clients.

I think the excellent care we provide comes down to the ethos we have. We really value the people who work for us and see ourselves as a people, not a profit-orientated business.

Does your care provider do this? If not, get in touch.

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