When Simon McGee’s grandmother had a fall at home in East Sussex and he couldn’t find suitable care he decided to take matters into his own hands. “I couldn’t see anything that would provide the continuity of care that I knew my grandmother would want. Eventually I found Home Instead and their ethos really struck a chord with me so, I researched the franchise option in Chichester & Bognor Regis as I felt there was a gap in the market.”
This was at the end of 2015 and the business has been flourishing since, with 50 members of staff looking after 70 families locally. The level of care provided Simon says depends entirely on the customer and their needs. “Some people we see once a week so they can go out to the shops, others may be seen two or three times in a day. We provide anything from companionship and home help to very specialist end of life care and dementia care” he adds. “But what is important to me is that the care is delivered by the same person, and if they are away the customer knows who will be delivering the care instead.”
Customers are matched with the staff by Simon and his team and they aim to support people with similar interests. We offer a minimum of one hour visits.
Home Instead staff are predominantly more mature, many in their 50s and 60s and have decided on a career change, with some having previous experience in the care industry.
“Our Caregivers are as diverse as our Customers. Our staff are incredibly selfless and genuine people, they appreciate how short life is and how they can make those final years more enjoyable.” says Simon.
The people who use the service Simon explains are aged over 65 with many over the age of 90. “It’s so important that the staff are trained and aware of what issues or challenges they may face. We run specialist Dementia and Parkinson’s courses for all our new staff, as well as end of life training.,” he explains. “We provide care in a caring way and it seems to be working.”
If you’d like more information on Home Instead services, please call 01903 206079 or visit www.homeinstead.co.uk/worthing-steyning