Mar23153 Most Inspirational Home Care MD 2023 (North England): Suzanne Janvier Apollo Care (South Wirral) aims to bring independence home by offering professional, personal care and companionship tailored to yours or your loved one’s needs. It does this by providing social and personal care to individuals in their own homes. These individuals may suffer from any number of a range of physical and medical conditions, or simply require extra support or companionship. We speak to its franchise owner to find out more. Suzanne Janvier, Owner and Registered Care Manager of Apollo Care (South Wirral), was a single Mum with two children under 5 when she first launched her business. Today it flourishes and is about to celebrate 10 successful years, so it’s fair to say that she understands what it takes to build a strong workforce. “For me, receiving wonderful feedback about the difference we have made to the lives of others is what I love about my business,” she explains. “I love watching the progression of my team and others growing.” As of April 2021, there were more than 10,000 homecare providers in the UK which are registered and regulated by their country’s awarding body (the CQC in England). In the years to come, Suzanne tells us that the demand for adult social care is projected to increase significantly, largely due to the UK’s ageing population, and this is backed up by the Department of Health & Social Care which predicts that 57 per cent more adults aged 65 and over in England will require care in 2038 compared to 2018. The percentage increase projected for adults aged between 18 to 64 over the same period is 29 per cent, according to a report published by the National Audit Office. “There is certainly the market for homecare provision, and there are many of us providing it already,” elaborates Suzanne. “But there are still only a small minority who do it successfully, providing a quality service that delivers what they promise without compromise.” The care industry requires a high level of resilience, both to change the management system and also to be able to lead in such a fastpaced environment. And this is where Apollo Care (South Wirral), and Suzanne in particular, stands out from the crowd. “I find that great communication and encouragement through regular supervisions and setting achievable targets encourages collaboration and engagement among team members,” Suzanne explains, speaking of her leadership style. “I always encourage a light-hearted atmosphere in the office - we can have great days and extremely busy times, so it is important to be able to make light of it and move on to the next challenge”. “I think one of the most important skills to have as a managing director is the ability to be able to take a step back, assess the situation in front of you and then decide how to proceed,” she continues. “The most useful quality I have learnt over the years is resilience and I think it is vitally important to keep focusing on the end goal, but not becoming so set into the same ways of doing things. Look for new ways of working, think outside the box, listen to others and don’t be afraid to fail – it’s all learning.” Apollo Care (South Wirral) is growing rapidly as a provider of private care on the Wirral and now throughout the North with more branches having opened in recent years. As an independent business, the branch has grown by 25% in just three months through the increase of private provision. Whilst health and social care has always been prevalent in the media, it sadly always seems low on the Government’s priority list. There are many areas for improvement and Suzanne, along with others, is constantly campaigning for changes in funding for improved provision. “Apollo is built on strong values and is passionate about the quality of the care that we deliver,” she enthuses. “We contract all our staff to ensure they maintain regular hours, receive high pay rates, excellent terms and support from their team. We have excellent retention rates, receive fantastic compliments from our clients and have built our reputation through recommendation.” And the achievements don’t stop there, for recently Suzanne herself was named in the Managing Director of the Year Awards as Most Inspirational Home Care MD 2023 (North England) – a prestigious accolade that is very well deserved. Now, Suzanne aims to continue her good work and, as well as providing home care for many elderly Wirral residents, her branch is also opening up a service to include community support, 1-1 support work and outreach. For the future, Suzanne has enrolled on an ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring programme and hopes to be able to support and coach other business owners in the future to achieve their own goals. Contact: Suzanne Janvier Company: Apollo Care (South Wirral) Web Address: www.apollocare.co.uk
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