National success for local care company

Kare Plus's growth has followed the introduction of the Health & Social Care Act, superseded by the Care Act 2014 which has now given people more freedom to make decisions about their own care.

At head office in Tettenhall Road, the company launched its Kare Plus West Midlands branch nearly five years ago, to provide care at home – both medical and non-medical – as well as supplying nurses and carers to local hospitals and care homes across the region

Managing director Steve Welsh, said the response had been tremendous. "We've experienced high demand for our services virtually from the word go. As a result, we've expanded quickly and are constantly looking for more nurses, carers and office staff to meet the requirements of our customers, whether they be care homes, hospitals or individuals looking for support in their own homes," he explained.

Angie Mason, domiciliary care manager at Kare Plus West Midlands, has long experience of the industry and said that it was quality of care that counts and that this was the driving force behind the company's success.

"Kare Plus has built a reputation locally and nationally for reliability and high quality services, so many of our customers come to us through word of mouth recommendation.

"Our workforce is expanding rapidly, but we're very rigorous in recruiting new staff because they have direct relationships with our customers and are responsible not just for delivering excellent care, but also for maintaining our standards and our brand."

Services range from simple companionship, light domestic duties and personal care through to specialist 24 hour support and everything in between.

As well as taking on fully qualified staff, Kare Plus is happy to train people with no previous experience and support them in achieving the necessary qualifications to build a new career.

The company has taken on board several apprentices in various departments at head office and within Kare Plus West Midlands, some are newly appointed like Ashley Boote who is assisting with recruitment administration, others like care co-ordinator Kirsty Melia, compliance officer Benn Merrick and recruitment consultant Tammy O'Brien, have spent time learning the ropes before moving into full-time responsible roles.

The apprentices were sourced from local training and apprenticeship providers Nova Training and Performance in People.

Kare Plus, which is a Care Quality Commission registered provider, is also geared up to equip and train people to become carers.

"It's a hugely satisfying role. For people who have the right attitude and personal attributes, it's a great path forward. We look for reliability, a good work ethic, but above all a friendly, empathic personality," added Angie Mason.

Mr Welsh said: "Providing care is different from almost any other business, we're not dealing with products, we're dealing with people's lives and so finding the right staff, investing in continuous training and matching customers and carers is essential.

"The UK's ageing population as well as the changing health care landscape has created a new and growing marketplace for services like ours that's set to grow exponentially over the coming years. Many care providers have appeared on the scene as a consequence, but only those like Kare Plus, with an absolute commitment to the highest quality standards at the very heart the business, are likely to succeed in the long run."