An innovative\u00a0home care service launched with just one client three years ago now employs more than 70 staff\u00a0– with plans to expand across North Wales.<\/p>\n
Meddyg Care\u2019s growing Help at Home now provides more than 1,500 hours of care a week to 87\u00a0people in rural Gwynedd, helping many to remain in their own homes.<\/p>\n
According to managing director Kevin Edwards, the lead representative of social care champions Care Forum in North Wales, the rapid growth has also helped ease the pressure on the NHS<\/p>\n
Many of the clients they support, he said,\u00a0 could otherwise be stuck in hospital or need residential care.<\/p>\n
Key to the success of the new service\u00a0had been the recruitment of a team of drivers who take carers to their appointments.<\/p>\n
They were hired because some of the carers can’t drive while those who want to learn have found it difficult to get lessons and have\u00a0had to wait up to a year for a test.<\/p>\n
From a standing start three years ago, the service now has more than 60 carers, a team of eight drivers, all led by manager Laura Haynes, while care co-ordinator Erica Clarina is the logistical lynchpin who links up the drivers’ routes and rotas to the carers’ shifts and the clients’ needs.<\/p>\n
Kevin said the Help at Home initiative was a vital lifeline to vulnerable people living in some of Gwynedd’s most remote\u00a0areas.<\/p>\n
The company, which has care homes in Porthmadog,\u00a0Criccieth and Rhyl\u00a0employing in excess of 275 staff, launched Help at Home after being approached by relatives of people who were still able to live in their own homes but needed extra support,\u201d said Kevin.<\/p>\n
“We launched the service in March 2023 and it started with just one client, they had a couple of calls from our staff and a meals service.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom there, the service has grown quickly because the demand is there, it has become a lifeline to our service users, and it\u2019s still growing.<\/p>\n
“We are looking to expand, we would like to take the service up to the North Wales coast and recreate what we have done in Gwynedd across Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire.<\/p>\n
“Some of our service users are living with dementia, others have mobility issues, and others find it difficult to give themselves personal care, or need help getting out of bed and dressing\u00a0because of physical or mental impairments.<\/p>\n
“A lot of people start looking at Help at Home because their loved one has been hospitalised because of\u00a0a\u00a0fall,\u00a0or they’ve had surgery and are less mobile\u00a0and can’t look after themselves.<\/p>\n
“A lot of the time they are stuck in hospital putting pressure on the NHS and taking up a bed when they really want and need to be at home.”<\/p>\n
According to fellow director Nicola Rutherford, Help at Home eased pressure on family members who were having to look after their loved ones.<\/p>\n
She said:\u00a0“We get a lot of positive feedback from the families about our\u00a0service and they say it just allows them to be the daughter or son again, rather than the sole carer.<\/p>\n
“That is probably the biggest gift we give to the families.”<\/p>\n
Nicola said Laura Haynes, Mario Francisco, Katie Jonesand Ericka Clarina did a terrific job in organising the drivers’ routes to match the\u00a0carers’ transport needs.<\/p>\n
She said: “The drivers take three or four carers who don’t drive to the far-flung areas though all weather, snow, hail, rain, flood, to ensure that vital service is provided.<\/p>\n
“A lot of our staff applied for\u00a0roles, but they didn’t have a driving licence, be it down to the cost of driving lessons, or cost of insurance,\u00a0or they just can’t get lessons locally or a driving test.<\/p>\n
“People are waiting up to a year for a driving test around here, which is crazy.<\/p>\n
“That meant we had\u00a0to\u00a0be proactive about it and basically advertise for drivers, we did it through local adverts and some of it was word of mouth.<\/p>\n
“We could not have grown the business to reach the furthest parts of Gwynedd such as Harlech or Tywyn without our drivers, it’s as simple as that.”<\/p>\n
Laura Haynes, who recently gained her Level 5\u00a0Leadership and Management qualification in Health and Social Care\u00a0at Coleg Menai\u00a0and is a registered manager with Social Care Wales, was proud to lead the team.<\/p>\n
Laura, who has been with\u00a0Meddyg Care for six years, said: “We were\u00a0inspected by Care Inspectorate Wales a few months ago\u00a0and we got an ‘excellent’ across the board, which is great, but as the registered manager\u00a0I’m always looking at\u00a0what more we can do for next time.<\/p>\n
“We give more than what is expected, we don’t just get people up, washed and dressed and give them breakfast.<\/p>\n
“We do more, like vacuuming,\u00a0have a singsong, read a book together, play a board game –\u00a0lots of different activities like going for walks or taking them to the shop.<\/p>\n
“We cover a wide area, from Porthmadog to Llanystumdwy and to Beddgelert,\u00a0Penrhyndeudreath, and Harlech and Tywyn, and my role also includes growing the service because the demand is there.”<\/p>\n
Healthcare assistant\u00a0Irene Asuncion, who has been with Meddyg Care for two\u00a0years, said as a non-driver, the fact the firm had recruited a team of drivers allowed her to work in the community.<\/p>\n
She said: “I was surprised and also very happy to hear the company had its own drivers.<\/p>\n
“I was accepted here without a driver’s licence and that has allowed me to help people who need it with their personal care and do a job\u00a0I really enjoy.”<\/p>\n
Driver Mark Grayson Wood, from Pwllheli, found his role\u00a0hugely\u00a0rewarding.<\/p>\n
He said: “It’s great to be part of something which makes a genuine\u00a0difference to people’s lives, it is rewarding to be part of such an important service.”<\/p>\n
Learn more and follow Meddyg Care on Social Media @meddygcare https:\/\/meddygcare.co.uk\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n