Rishi Sunak visits our National Office
Former PM learns more about our care and technology
On Monday 23 March, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty visited our National Office, meeting with Care Professionals and clients from our Northwich office to hear about their experiences of home care and to see first-hand what the future of the sector looks like.
Mr Sunak arrived alongside Seth Sternberg, CEO and Founder of Honor. The morning was arranged in a personal capacity, and from the moment it began, the tone was warm, open and genuinely curious.
The people at the heart of it
Mr Sunak spent time with four of our Care Professionals and five clients, listening to their stories and seeing first-hand the difference that home care makes to older people across the UK. The conversations were full of warmth, and clients talked about shopping trips with their Care Professionals, days out to the beach, being kept busy and feeling connected. Care Professionals shared why they chose this work and what it means to them to show up for the same people, day after day.
It was exactly the kind of morning that shows home care at its best, not as a service, but as a relationship.
Technology that puts people first
Mr Sunak was also shown how our offices are beginning to use technology to better understand clients’ needs and preferences. Mr Sunak noted that the NHS is currently trialling a similar voice recognition system with GPs, and was struck by how naturally the same principle applies in home care. As he observed, older people may be less familiar with AI and technology, but when it is explained clearly, they understand it, and for families it complements rather than replaces the care being provided.
Understanding the realities of ageing
Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty were also introduced to our sensitivity kit, a training tool designed to simulate some of the physical and sensory challenges associated with ageing, including reduced mobility, arthritis and sight loss. The experience helps Care Professionals better understand what day-to-day life can feel like for the people they support.
Mr Sunak described it as an enlightening experience, simple, yet highly effective in building the kind of genuine empathy that underpins great care.
Building careers in care
The conversation also turned to the future of the care workforce. Mr Sunak was interested in how Home Instead is addressing the challenge of career progression in a sector where turnover has historically been high. Our Managing Director, Ruth was able to share how many of our most senior leaders started out as Care Professionals, and how we invest in regular training, skills development and wellbeing support, including our PEAQ Care Professional surveys, to make sure our people feel valued and have a clear path forward.
Speaking about the visit, Ruth Brown, MD of Home Instead UK, said, “We were thrilled to welcome Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty to our National Office. The best way to understand home care is to meet the people who provide it and those who receive it, and that’s exactly what this visit was about. Our Care Professionals spoke with such warmth and honesty about the people they care for, something we pride ourselves on at Home Instead. We hope that visits like this help build a better understanding of what home care really involves, and what more needs to be done to support the people who deliver it.”
Reflecting on his morning with the team, Rishi Sunak said: “Spending time with the Care Professionals and clients at Home Instead was truly inspiring. The dedication and warmth of the people I met was extraordinary, and it gave me a much deeper appreciation of the vital role home care plays in so many people’s lives.”
Julia Cogden, Care Professional from Home Instead’s Northwich office, added: “I’ve been a Care Professional for 2 years and I’m so proud of what we do. Being able to share that with Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata, who wanted to understand it properly, was really special. Our clients are incredible people. I hope that by hearing their stories, more people understand how important it is that they’re able to stay in their own homes, with people they know and trust.”
Our Care Professionals provide companionship, personal care and specialist support to older people in their own homes, enabling them to live well and independently for longer. The morning gave Rishi Sunak a direct insight into the rewards and realities of working in care and the difference that high-quality, relationship-led support makes to clients and their families across the UK.