Two executives from Right at Home played starring roles when the 2024 Future of Homecare Conference took place last month in south London. The company’s Chief Executive, Lucy Campbell, and Right at Home’s Director of People and Brand, Heather Wehrle, were two of the delegates who spoke at The Oval cricket ground on Wednesday, January 24th.
Both spoke passionately about the challenges which are currently facing the UK’s social care workforce. The event was hosted by the Homecare Association, which represents more than 2,000 homecare providers.
Representatives from across the health and social care sector discussed the need to share best practice and provide thoughtful leadership. And when Lucy and Heather took to the stage separately, the pair spoke about the vital work being done by the many skilled and highly valuable social care professionals across the country.
Lucy is currently vice-chair of the Homecare Association, and she led a discussion on developing a comprehensive workforce strategy for social care in the UK. Reflecting on her attendance at the Conference, Lucy remarked: “We have a ‘leaky bucket’ in social care.
“Too many good people, with the right values and skills, are falling through the holes. The panel and I agreed that there is an urgent need to start building a workforce for the future. We need to fill the estimated 440,000 extra roles that will be needed in this sector by 2035.
“What I found amazing about this event, is how it encouraged collaboration among all the delegates. From company directors and registered managers, to caregivers and technology partners, everyone spoke passionately about working towards a common goal.”
Among the panel of experts were those from the NHS, Skills for Care, Kings College London and the Department of Health and Social Care. They all shared their concerns, while discussing the future needs of the 1.5m people who currently work in the sector.
Right at Home’s other contributor, Heather, spoke later in the day and explained the company’s approach to upskilling and retaining social care professionals in the workforce. She shared her knowledge on ‘professionalising the care sector’, and how best to create an attractive career pathway for those wishing to join the industry.
Heather gave her opinion on how the industry could enjoy positive recognition from politicians and the public. She said: “It was so inspiring to be around so many like-minded people who are incredibly passionate about care professionals and the future of the social care sector.
“Everybody who attended spoke eagerly about getting the recognition that our sector absolutely deserves. I sat next to Amanda Morgan, who is a support worker from Wales.
“Amanda has been working in the sector for 20 years and her story about how she reunited a man with his daughter, during the final six weeks of his life, was just so inspiring. She is a brilliant reminder of why we do what we do. She highlights the important role played by care professionals within the healthcare system.”
About: Right at Home is one of the UK’s leading homecare providers. It has a 9.8 out of 10 rating on the UK’s leading independent review site homecare.co.uk. Internationally, Right at Home is one of the world’s most trusted homecare providers. They have a global network of over 700 locally owned and operated offices, which deliver care and support to tens of thousands of people every day.
Their work enables people to continue living independently in their own homes.
Right at Home provides care services to adults over the age of 18. Primary services are focused on supporting clients with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and the elderly.
The company place great emphasis on the emotional well-being of clients and their families. They promote minimum one-hour visits, so trusted caregivers get to know their clients. Sharing a cup of tea and having a chat can make a huge difference to a person’s state of mind, easing the difficulties of loneliness among the elderly.
Their services are personalised and flexible to meet the needs of the people they support. This support can be short-term or long-term, ranging from an hourly daily visit, through to 24-hour or live-in care, seven days a week.
Among their services, are: Companionship; Live-in care; Specialist dementia care; Transport, errands and meal preparation; Household administration; Light housekeeping; Medication support; Post-operative support and Holiday and respite cover.
Right at Home, who have their UK headquarters in Liverpool, is a growing network of over 70 local franchised businesses. They were founded in 1995, with global head offices in Omaha, Nebraska. They began international franchising in 2009 and currently have Master Franchisees in Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, Netherlands, and United Kingdom.
