The home care space and wider social care sector have long been under significant pressure. Issues around funding, accessibility, staffing, and service standards have impacted countless families across almost all councils and local authority areas.
Guardian Angel Carers, a private and sector-leading network of home care franchises, is well-known as an award-winning thought leader. It has consistently advocated for the innovative and forward-thinking approaches it adopts as a framework to drive improvements across public and private home care provision.
The company has highlighted a new pilot project being run by a city council in West Yorkshire, which has acted as a case study. The 18-month programme is based on a comparable home care model and has shown how neighbourhood teams and regular visiting care can deliver more effective, affordable support.
How specialist private home care providers are inspiring positive change
We often reflect on why councils and care providers in regions with significant challenges should refer to the private home care space.
Examples include proven approaches that eliminate high staff turnovers and retention issues, the adoption of cost-efficient technology that overcomes scheduling conflicts or manual errors, and home-based care principles that can have transformative impacts on quality of life.
Our priority is to help showcase how making meaningful changes isn’t simply a case of balancing budgets. Instead, it can have a quantifiable effect on access to care, prevent avoidable hospital admissions, and protect the independence and welfare of people who can live at home with the right degree of compassionate assistance.
Here at Guardian Angel Carers, we introduced a franchise-based model some years ago. We have, therefore, seen firsthand how this philosophy of locally owned and run home care teams enables each territory to adapt and respond to the unique needs, requirements and demands for professional care in the communities it serves; without using a standardised template that may be less effective in some areas than in others.
The overarching goal is to address gaps in home care provision, ensure there are alternatives to residential care where this isn’t wanted or necessary, and develop systems that support vulnerable adults who need help staying autonomous in the comfort and familiarity of their homes.
Seeing a pilot project launched in West Leeds, backed by Leeds City Council, is a fantastic step. Announced as an all-new service with greater personalisation and flexibility, staffed by smaller localised teams, the scheme is anticipated to deliver considerable cost reductions alongside better care for the community.
Techniques and approaches introduced into public sector home care services
The pilot project, part of a contract worth £5.7 million, is being seen as a way to deliver better value for taxpayers while improving services designed to support individuals and help them live independently in their own homes for longer.
Echoing home care systems used throughout Guardian Angel Carers, the project is utilising technology to assist in faster hospital discharges and reduce admissions that may have been preventable while delivering consistent at-home care from familiar carers.
Importantly, cost savings are achieved partly through reduced travel time between appointments. Using local care teams rather than centrally based care professionals covering larger areas decreases working time between care visits.
We consider this a positive move, where the models we use show how supporting individuals across communities, including for councils struggling with limited budgets, can be better achieved without compromising on value.
The use of neighbourhood teams in each area acts similarly to our regional territories, something we know extends beyond practical help during visiting care. It means carers and care recipients form friendships and trust, and individuals receive support from trained, qualified carers who know the local area well and can assist with shopping trips, social events, and hobbies.
Blending local knowledge, consistent care routines, and targeted home-based care isn’t necessarily new, but seeing these methods rolled out is a step forward, and we hope to see them implemented across more local authority areas.
The implementation of private home care remuneration and recruitment systems across the wider sector
Part of the pilot project is concentrated on pay schemes and structures for carers. This means care professionals are paid for the whole of their shift rather than per visit. They also receive competitive rates of pay—an approach we have used for several years and have seen effective in preventing some of the longstanding issues around staff recruitment and retention.
This prioritises the welfare, job satisfaction, and support systems in place for carers as well as the individuals and families we support. We’d strongly encourage all care organisations to revisit their remuneration policies, given that flexible working and stable employment are crucial to retaining highly skilled carers.
Likewise, the removal of zero-hour contracts and the mention of career pathways are hugely important. Career development provides carers with opportunities to acquire new skills, gain qualifications, and enhance their careers without the need to consider alternative employment due to low pay rates.
Hailed as a way to coordinate services between health and social care, we are delighted to read about the more detailed plans and proposals included within the pilot project and look forward to seeing the outcomes and measurable impacts – which will, undoubtedly, support movements to introduce more community-based home care support in the future.
In the meantime, we continue to engage with partners and are always happy to share our expertise, standards, and knowledge as part of our commitment to shaping a future for a home care system that is inclusive and affordable for both families and authorities and ultimately delivers the standards of family-feel, personalised care at home that make such a difference to so many.
