THE CARE COMPANY
OUR STORY
KAY GYNANE
DIRECTOR
COMPANY OWNER
I’m Kay Gynane the owner and sole Director of The Care Company. I work in the business every day and I’m very proud of the business I’ve developed with my team and cannot believe how fast the last 10 years have gone since I started this business and how much I’ve learned in this time. I initially started the business in Gnosall and then opened a 2nd office in Burslem, Stoke on Trent. In 2021 we moved the Gnosall office tom Stafford to be in the centre of our trading area. I’m personally responsible for the Agency side of the business- supplying nurses and carers to nursing and care homes. I secure and fill the shifts, interview new staff and oversee the business in general; also attending meetings with the Council and the bank. Occasionally I help to cover care shifts in the community which helps to keep me in touch with the changing needs of the business. I would never ask any of my staff to do anything I’m not prepared to do myself and I am always available to talk to staff and customers any time of the day and night.
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How we care for people matters to me.
A very long time ago I left school to train as a nurse at Great Ormond Street hospital. Although I didn’t complete my course and qualify (disappointed mum and dad) the interest in care has remained with me. I’ve enjoyed a fantastic career which has covered roles in sales, marketing, training and project management. I started this business because I was fed up with a corporate working life including commuting to London from Stafford daily.
Whilst I lived in Stafford my 88-year-old Nan came to live with me as she lost the sight in one eye following a nasty fall and was unable to remain living on her own. She was fiercely (quite rightly) independent and reluctantly accepted the need for help with carers at home. We had support from community carers, a live-in carer and then she moved herself to a nursing home due to my husband’s failing health. My Nan spent the last 15 months of her life living in a nursing home – one of which we now provide ad-hoc care and nursing staff. During staff inductions I tell new starters about my Nan: I remind them that a care home is now that person’s home and it should be respected as such and that all the residents should be treated how they would want their parents or grandparents to be treated. The same applies to our carers working in people’s own homes.
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The year before I started this business I sadly lost my 45 year old husband Dave to a brain tumour following 13 years of pioneering treatment. Over these 13 years I met many health professionals reigniting my interest in care – I felt the need to make a difference.
I am passionate, for example, about dignity and people being allowed to die in their own home. In my Nan’s day this was quite normal and the main purpose of the front room in most homes. I found I had to fight health professionals to allow my husband to die at home – which was his wish.
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Nine years ago I met Peter who is my partner. We now live near Llangollen with our 2 Labradors: Maggie and Georgie. We moved to enjoy the fabulous countryside around where we live and to further explore Wales. Peter joined the business around 8.5 years ago and is responsible for the smooth running of the business behind the scenes. His remit is administration for both offices, to keep all computers and systems working, and most importantly assist with paying our staff –and correctly!
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We work hard as a small team to make sure customer complaints are kept to a minimum. We nip issues in the bud as soon as we can because we care. I can remember the very first customer complaint I attended in someone’s home. I was accused by a frustrated relative of sitting there in my business suit not caring and not possibly being able to understand what she was going through.
Her husband had declining health and was dissatisfied with his care package. I was able to say straightaway, actually, I do very much understand and I personally know how that feels. I make sure we carefully consider how we can overcome any issues and as a management team accept it’s a lesson learned so we don’t repeat the same mistakes again.
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The Care Company will remain my business – we are here to stay.
We want to deliver a great service and are constantly focusing on being the best that we can be through offering continued training to our staff in order to deliver excellent customer service whilst achieving a profitable business. We regularly undertake staff and customer feedback surveys so we know what we need to work on and what we’re doing right !
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​We are always open to suggestions and new ideas so please let us know if you have any.
SARAH ADAMS
REGISTERED MANAGER
HOMECARE
I’m Sarah Adams Registered Manager for The Care Company.
I was part of the small team here who commenced the home care side to this business back in Winter 2014.
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​My care career started back in 2000. Sadly, I lost my father to terminal cancer. At the time I worked for a large chemical company where I can now say I was unhappy in my job. I felt no sense of job fulfillment and felt very much like a number and not a person. After losing my Father and seeing the wonderful work people do in the healthcare sector I embarked my own career within the sector.
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​My First care role was in a large Nursing home close to where I lived. Things were very different back then as it was before any police checks. I attended an interview on a Friday and started work the next day. Thrown in at the deep end was an understatement, I remember being instructed to ‘go to room 4 and wash and dress the person’ I didn’t even know where room 4 was and certainly did not know how to support a person with their care. I went into room 4 after getting lost several times and was faced with a very frail lady in bed fast asleep with the curtains closed. I tried to wake the lady but she was so fast asleep she didn’t know I was there. I didn’t know if I could turn on the lights and didn’t want to startle her. Looking around her room for clothes and toiletries, seeing her personal belongings it suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I felt very unsupported during my time here and sadly it was a typical tale within this sector. I left after 9 months but gained some excellent experience in how not to do things!!
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​I started working within the community care sector as a carer. I did this role for 7 years which I enjoyed very much. I received the right training and the right support to do the job properly. I gained invaluable experience understanding the sector, how to provide the best care and learning about people with different medical conditions. I completed other roles within this job such as senior work, reviewing the customers care plans and observing other staff members some which were new to the sector. I enjoyed this nurturing aspect of the job and felt that it benefited the work force.
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​Following this I had my first baby Ashton. I took some time out to care for my bundle of joy! I returned to the sector as a Care Coordinator which enabled me to learn about the sector from an administration perspective. I decided this was a long-term job for me and decided to complete my managers’ degree.
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​Once completed I embarked on my career as a manager. I felt well equipped not only had I completed my qualifications but I had gained experience as a care worker, senior care worker and care co-ordinator.
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​Working for a large organization I was challenged with opening a new branch in Wolverhampton. Wow what a challenge that was! Day one I arrived at the beautifully new decorated office with one desk, one phone and one computer. I was tasked with recruiting new carers as I had none and finding customers who needed care. Little by little I made headway. My first customer was very complex, from providing a good service and gaining a good reputation the business quickly grew. We were the fastest growing branch within the company. I look back at my time here very positively.
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​Baby number 2 arrived , little Lucas. The traveling to Wolverhampton daily was no longer an option for me so I became the Quality Manager. I enjoyed this role but missed the hustle and bustle of managing a busy office.
​I then moved to an organization closer to home. During a council meeting I met Kay Gynane the owner of The Care Company and instantly knew she was passionate about providing high quality care. Straight away after our chance encounter I knew I would end up working for Kay. It was the right time for me to move on as I had not been happy within my role for some time.
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​In June 2018 I gave birth to my daughter Isla and enjoyed time with her on maternity leave. I returned to work the following January and now enjoying tackling the regulatory element of my role to ensure we are compliant as a business.
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​My team now provide around 3000 visits across Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent . I am equally as passionate as Kay in providing quality care, and feel we have adopted an ethos within the company that we care for the staff as much as we do our customers. Within our team we have a wealth of experience and we are committed to supporting a stable service during difficult times within the health care sector. Let the journey continue!!
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I have recently been appointed as a Board member for SARCP (Staffordshire Association of Care Providers) to represent Homecare. Whilst this is a recent venture I can already see the benefits of being part of a Board of people representing the sector with such a wide range of skills and experiences. I hope to be able to share my experiences with local authorities to improve the way care is commissioned and received.
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I am so proud of our wonderful team of carers, some who have been with us for over 7 years.
Through rain and shine they are out there delivering the care to keep our customers where they choose to be…. Home.
WENDY BAILEY
DEPUTY MANAGER
HOMECARE
PETER DABROWSKI
OPERATIONS MANAGER
BETHANY DAWSON
CARE COORDINATOR
OFFICE BURSLEM
I am Beth Dawson, the Care Coordinator for the Burslem Office.
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I started with The Care Company in February 2018 as a care worker, I then started on call for the company in June 2018 and eventually progressed to becoming the Coordinator in March 2019.
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My day-to-day job role includes speaking to new or existing clients and their family members, covering shifts and taking on new packages. I feel as though it is important for me to listen and deal with any concerns that anyone in the company may have, whether it be big or small. There are a lot of other aspects to my job role, but my favourite part of the job has to be making new runs and expanding in different areas. The quality of care that we as a company provide is highly important for me and I have a lot of pride in what I do.
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Not only is my job a big part of my life, but so are my friends and family. Out of the office I enjoy going out and socialising.
Hello. I am Charlotte (Charley) Millar, my story will be here soon...
CHARLOTTE MILLAR
BUSINESS SUPPORT
AMANDA PRICE
CARER TRAINER
Hi, my name is Amanda Price.
I am The Care Company's trainer a Senior carer; joining the company in July 2021. May 2023 has given me another string to my bow: assisting as a Finance Administrator covering for Alex who is on maternity leave.
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My working background has mainly been in Accounting. I fell into care by accident as I took a Care Assistant position as a second job and realised that I love care and so, changed career.
I have two grown up children Rebecca and Matthew, my partner Paul and Rosie the cat. I’ve recently added chickens to my family called Barbara, Gladys and Ethel and I still get very excited when they lay eggs ! When I'm not working or training I love to hang out with family and friends, going out or curling up on the sofa watching a film.