The demand for homecare services has skyrocketed across the UK. This is because older and vulnerable people, and their families, clearly prefer to be independent in their own homes rather than transferring into residential care. This trend across the country is part of a bigger move towards customised, community-based care that focusses on dignity, comfort, and quality of life.
Homecare has become a very important service in Hereford. Herefordshire County Council (HCC) now helps about 736 people with their services, providing about 10,000 hours of care each week. This is a big investment for the area, costing almost £265,000 a week, or almost £14 million a year.
It’s clear that home care is more than just a necessary social service; it’s also a big part of the local economy.
Why Homecare is the Best Option
The move towards domiciliary care (care at home) instead of traditional care homes is speeding up across the country. Studies have consistently demonstrated that elderly persons favour the familiarity and comfort of their homes to institutional environments. Also, home care is typically cheaper for authorities since it gives people the help they need when and where they need it, instead than keeping up expensive residential facilities.
This fits well with the Department of Health and Social Care’s continuous plan to put home-based solutions first whenever possible, since they are both cheaper and better for people’s quality of life.
The Special Problem for Homecare Providers
But providing good home care in communities like Hereford isn’t always easy. There have been chronic staffing shortages in the care sector. In the past, several suppliers have relied largely on personnel from other countries who were sponsored for visas. This reliance is good for now, but it raises long-term sustainability issues, especially with the latest Immigration White Paper, which makes visa criteria stricter and hiring expenses much higher.
Joghide Home Care: A Thoughtful, Local Option
We did things differently at Joghide Home Care. We made the decision a year ago to only hire local talent because we saw the problems that could come from relying on hiring people from other countries. This wasn’t an easy choice. It meant spending a lot of money on local hiring efforts, better pay and working conditions, and full training programs.
But this plan is working out well today.
As far as we know, we are the only domiciliary care service in Hereford that solely hires people from the area. Because of changes to visa policy, other providers are now urgently rethinking their staffing methods. Joghide, on the other hand, has already created a strong, engaged, and highly competent team from the local community.
Local Workers, Great Care
Our choice has not only made our personnel numbers more stable, but it has also made the quality and consistency of our care better. Persons who care for others who live nearby generally have a close link with the persons they care for. They stay longer, are happier with their jobs, and provide more individualised care.
This directly leads to better care results, as seen in our consistently outstanding ratings and reviews and a staff turnover rate that is much lower than the industry norm.
A Template for Future Success
Homecare will keep rising in Hereford and all throughout the country in the future. But growth alone isn’t enough; to provide long-lasting, high-quality service, staffing strategies need to be well thought out and take into account changing policies and local demands.
Joghide’s story shows that hiring local people not only makes a business stronger, but it also makes the community stronger.
Marek Niedzwiedz, Registered Care Manager
