Virtus Care Group Newsletter January 2026
Introducing our new Virtus Care Group Newsletter. Combining news and updates from Home Instead Oxford, Swindon and Thornbury.
Introducing Our New Virtus Care Group Newsletter
We’re delighted to welcome you to our new, combined Virtus Care Group newsletter, bringing together the monthly updates from Home Instead Oxford, Swindon and Thornbury in one place.
For those that haven’t yet heard, Home Instead Oxford and Swindon’s SLT recently took on another territory in South Gloucestershire! Together we make the Virtus Care Group, owned by Dr Othman Cole.
While our offices may be rooted in different communities, we share the same values, the same commitment to outstanding care, and the same passion for supporting people to live well at home.
From community initiatives and team achievements to client celebrations and local partnerships, this new group newsletter format allows us to showcase the breadth of exciting work happening across Virtus Care Group, while still staying connected to what matters locally.
Thank you for being part of our journey. We hope you enjoy this new way of keeping in touch and feel proud of the positive impact we are making together.
Recognising the Rural Recruitment Gap – and What We’re Doing About It
We know that providing high-quality care in rural communities comes with unique challenges. Longer travel distances, limited public transport, and smaller local populations can make it harder to recruit and retain care professionals. That’s why our rural client campaign focuses on making sure people living in remote areas continue to receive the care they need, when and where they need it.
To support this, we prioritise recruiting genuinely local care professionals. By building teams from within the communities we serve, we ensure continuity of care and maintain the high standards our clients expect — no matter where they live.
We also bring training to our care professionals in the field, rather than expecting them to travel long distances. This approach not only makes learning more accessible but also allows our teams to spend more time providing care and less time commuting.
Through these steps, we’re committed to bridging the rural care gap, supporting our communities, and delivering exceptional care across all the areas we serve.
Please visit our websites to read more about our rural recruitment drive in our blogs for Home Instead Oxford and Home Instead Thornbury, Yate and Dursley.
Know Your Options: Shining a Light on Later Life Choices
Navigating the care journey can feel overwhelming, not just for the person receiving care, but for their loved ones too. That’s why our latest campaign focuses on freedom of information — making it easier for people to access the guidance, support, and knowledge they need at every step of the journey.
Across Oxford, Thornbury, and Swindon, we’re tackling this major gap in our communities. We already provide a range of support, from our weekly Carer’s Question Time calls, where families can ask anything about care, to talks with local community groups. A great example was Swindon’s Community Engagement Officer, Cat, who delivered a session to RIUK on how to spot the early signs that a loved one may need extra support.
Looking ahead, we’re expanding this work with more talks for community groups, collaborations with valued partners and professionals, such as GP surgeries, and sharing knowledge and resources with organisations like Wilson Brown Solicitors. Our aim is simple: to make information more accessible, help families feel confident in their decisions, and ensure people know exactly where to turn for guidance and support.
By shining a light on the care journey, we hope to empower families, strengthen communities, and make sure no one feels alone or unsure when navigating care.
Wiltshire Farm Foods Bring Tasty Treats to Faringdon Friendship & Memories Cafe!
In January, our Faringdon Friendship and Memories Cafe was delighted to have a guest visitor, Charlotte Parkin from Wiltshire Farm Foods. Charlotte entertained our guests with a fun game of bingo and brought a selection of Wiltshire Farm Foods tasty and nutritious meals and treats. It was interesting to hear how flexible arrangements can be in terms of booking, cancelling, changing orders and reassuring to learn that all drivers are DBS checked and can, if required, deliver the meals directly to the freezer!
Faringdon Friendship and Memories Cafe is a companionship cafe run by national Home Instead Charities who seek to eliminate loneliness is older people in our communities. The local group is led by volunteers from Home Instead Swindon, who provide home care services for seniors in Swindon and Vale of the White Horse including dementia care, end of life care, nail care, live-in care, home help and companionship.
Many of our clients at Home Instead use Wiltshire Farm Foods so we are aware that it is a practical, reliable option that can help support elderly people to continue to live independently in their own homes. Preparing home -cooked meals is close to our hearts as this is something our Care Professionals can do for clients as part of our home care services, but having Wiltshire Farm Foods is an option some of our clients find invaluable. We encourage people to find what works for them.
Cat, the Volunteer Champion running the Faringdon Cafe says “It was lovely to have Charlotte attend as we appreciate the cafe is a great place for local seniors to both find friendship and have a fun time, and also get information from trusted local providers about services which help make life better! Staying well-nourished is vital to health for all of us, and as people age it can become more challenging as appetites sometimes diminish and issues like mobility and manual dexterity can prevent people from preparing the home cooked meals they once did. It’s good to share that Wiltshire Farm Foods are an option and be reassured about the nutritious content of their meals’.
Celebrating Our Amazing Team
As I hope you all know, at Home instead Oxford, Swindon and Thornbury, at the heart of everything we do is the value we hold for our team. At every opportunity we love to shout from the rooftops about how fantastic each person is, and every month we name one or more Care Professionals of the Month. Therefor I am very proud to share our Care Pros for the month of January.
Laura is our Care Professional of the Month for Home Instead Oxford. She has been part of our team for nearly 3 years and we will simply never let her go!
Laura is thoughtful, reliable, incredibly compassionate and just a joy to have around, for us as a team and for her clients who adore her!
Keep up the amazing work Laura, we’re lucky to have you!
Sam is our Care Professional of the Month for Home Instead Swindon. She has been part of our team for just over a year now and has been a asset to us all.
We consistently receive wonderful feedback from Clients and their families about Sam, in particular that during her visits, she thinks of the whole household, particularly during difficult times, and that is something that makes a truly wonderful carer. Well done, Sam!
Being a brand new office, Home Instead Thornbury doesn’t yet have a Care Pro of the month to share. But we’ll be delighted to soon share who is our first!
