UK Enterprise Awards 2021

277 | UK Enterprise Awards 2021 Best Domiciliary Care Provider - Berkshire County Carers is a domiciliary care provider based in Berkshire providing daily care, including night care, in and around the area, and live-in care across the whole of the UK. Founded and managed by Eloise Wakeford, County Carers has cultivated and developed an elite team who all share the same philosophy and vision – to provide tailormade, person-centred care to enable their clients to remain at home living a safe, independent and fulfilled life. Eloise has a strong legal background practising criminal law, as well as 20 years’ experience in the care industry, which gives her the edge in business and is the key to her success. Since being appointed Registered Manager of a residential home at the age of 19, Eloise has gone on to establish County Carers and use her skill, knowledge and integrity to benefit the elderlycommunity. Eloise has created a management team with exceptional leadership skills and extensive experience in hospital, residential and domiciliary settings, some of whom she has worked with for over 20 years. It’s the strength of the management structure that gives the clients peace of mind, and 24-hour support to the care team. “What makes us different to competitors is simple,” explains Eloise. “It is because we provide an exemplary service based on a unique outlook on domiciliary care.” County Carers guarantees continuity of care through a team of regular carers at set times for daily visits, or on regular rotation for their live in clients, and Eloise cannot emphasise enough the importance of continuity of care and the confidence and reassurance that it gives to clients. “We believe that when you reach the point in life where you need care or extra help and support, you should receive the highest standard of care, from a carer who not only has the expected level of training and experience, but from someone who you would choose as a friend,” she says. The company’s experienced care managers offer a personalised service built around the individuals needs, choices and preferences, and great importance is placed on matching clients with carers who best suit their requirements. Communication with clients and their families is a priority for County Carers and is often something which others overlook. All staff must undertake yearly training which is provided in-house via an elite training programme with County Care Academy which covers all the mandatory units, specialising in dementia and medication training. When recruiting, all new staff undergo a 12-week induction period where they learn County Carers’ policies and procedures, and the values that are important to the company. “We have also developed an internal excellence scheme in-house that celebrates the hard work the carers undertake daily,” Eloise continues. “We have a daily and live-in Carer of the Month award and an annual award ceremony to show recognition for the achievements of staff who excel in their performance and skills. We feel that it is very important to recognise and reward staff who go above and beyond, and it gives a great sense of achievement for the carer to receive such an award.” During the pandemic, rather than source care through an organisation, Eloise found that many families decided to provide the care for their loved ones themselves. Many people found themselves furloughed and rather than pay out for care costs they moved in with their family member or had them move in with them. “We appreciate this can be very difficult both emotionally and physically for a family member to step in as a carer and now that more industries are opening back up and people arereturning to the offices and workplaces, we are experiencing a huge demand for both our daily and live-in services.” Regarding the future, County Carers intends to continue to expand its daily services across different areas, and grow the number of live-in clients, whilst at all times maintaining the company ethos of continuity of care and person- centred care planning. “We have grown organically through recommendations and referrals, never losing sight of why the company was founded in the first place. We will never accept a care package that we cannot fully commit to, and always keep our promises to our clients. We will continue to expand the management team to support the company as it grows.” Contact: Eloise Wakeford Company: County Carers Web Address: www.countycarers.com As a domiciliary care company based in the South East, County Carers believes that the most important thing is to source carers with the right qualities in order to provide exceptional levels of care. Founder, Eloise Wakeford, tells us more about the company and what sets it apart from the rest. May21537