Tunbridge Wells care provider delivers

Michael Romyn

IN TODAY'S business climate of doom, gloom and redundancies, a Tunbridge Wells-based home care provider has employed a little blue-sky thinking.

Domiciliary care company TerraBlu took a team of its support workers to Spain's Costa Blanca as part of a reward and training Care Academy scheme.

The company believes the quality of its service relies on good employees.

Managing director Richard Gould said: "The need for home support is growing all the time but there are fewer and fewer people coming into domiciliary care.

"We understand that to deliver the best care to our clients we need to attract and retain the best carers.

"It's been fantastic to be able to take people out of their familiar setting and see them embrace a new challenge and get really involved in developing new initiatives."

Workers who had been with the company for a year or more were invited on a free tour where they took part in seminars and team building exercises, as well as spending plenty of time in the sun.

Mr Gould added: "The challenge for us is to continue to find good people in the industry. Money is not enough. Workers need to feel valued and this is what we try to do. We strive to be a good employer, the best employer."

TerraBlu's 65 staff provide home care and support services for children and adults with mental and physical disabilities and the elderly across West Kent.

The company, started by Mr Gould in 2002 and based in Calverley Park Crescent, is an approved provider for Kent County Council but also offers services for private clients.

It was awarded the highest standard three-star status as a care provider by the Commission for Social Care Inspection following an unannounced inspection in March 2008.

Mr Gould said: "Our workers are special people. The team works 365 days a year, starting out at 7am and still delivering care at 10pm.

"It's a challenge but we are making a material difference to people's quality of life. Coming into a family setting at a difficult time can be hard but the work can also be very rewarding."

TerraBlu is holding a children's tea party at Spa Valley railway in Tunbridge Wells for existing clients on October 11 from 4pm.

For more information, log on to www.thisiskent.co.uk/tunbridgewells and click through on this story's link.