Newly elected MP for Woking paid us a visit

We were delighted to welcome Will Forster, the newly elected MP for Woking, to our office and discuss key issues surrounding Adult Social Care. During his visit, our Managing Director, Sarah Daly, provided Will with a comprehensive overview of Home Instead’s history, beginning with its origins in the United States and subsequent expansion into the UK. Sarah highlighted how the company has grown from a single franchise to over 250 across the country.

Sarah also shared her personal journey with the business, Home Instead Guildford and Woking has been running since 2009 before Sarah took over the branch in 2012 and became the registered Care Manager to ensure her active involvement in all aspects of the organisation. She expressed her pride in maintaining an Outstanding rating since 2017, a testament to the high standards of care we continue to uphold. Additionally, she explained that she and her husband, Chris, expanded the business further by acquiring a second franchise in Godalming in 2022.

During the meeting, Will Forster provided valuable insights into the challenges facing the home care sector. Representing the Liberal Democrats, he emphasised the party’s strong commitment to adult social care, noting the deep personal connection party leader Ed Davey has to the sector. Will also shared his own experience, having supported an elderly family member in need of care, which gives him a personal understanding of the sector’s demands and challenges.

Our discussions were in-depth and covered a wide range of topics. Will demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the sector and offered invaluable insights from a governmental perspective. He explained how the Liberal Democrats aim to act as a constructive and critical voice in shaping policies, helping to challenge and improve government decisions without adopting an overly adversarial stance. Will also provided advice on how best to engage with local councils to address specific concerns and push for incremental changes. His guidance on how to communicate effectively with the right individuals to escalate and address local issues was particularly helpful.

Will acknowledged that the challenges in the Home Care sector have been long-standing and exacerbated by successive governments’ inaction. He stressed that resolving these issues would likely require a cross-party consensus, as there is no immediate solution on the horizon. However, he expressed confidence that progress will be made in time.

Among the topics we discussed were:

• Sponsorship and recruitment challenges
• Zero-hours contracts and their impact on Care Professionals
• The provision of a Care Car for staff facing transportation difficulties
• HMRC travel expense allowance changes that will affect our Care Professionals
• Winter fuel allowance changes that will affect our clients

We also took the opportunity to discuss how Home Instead is engaged with both local and national initiatives, offering services that set us apart from other care providers.

Following the discussion, Will made a point of meeting each member of the office team, learning about their roles and tenure with the company. Vicki, our Care Manager, guided him through the office, introducing him to the team and showing him Betty’s Training Room, where we conduct training and education sessions for our Care Professionals. Will took a keen interest in our training programmes and seemed genuinely impressed by the level of support we provide. We are hopeful that his visit will lead him to become a stronger advocate for the vital work we are doing within the social care sector.

During his visit, we were also hosting a Macmillan Cake Sale. Will took the time to meet with the staff running the stall, made a generous donation, and enjoyed some homemade cakes baked by our Care Professionals and office team.

We are extremely grateful to Will for taking the time to visit us, listen to our concerns, and share his insights into the challenges faced at both a governmental and local level. His advice on how we can advocate for change within our community was invaluable. We believe his visit allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the services we provide to the elderly and clients with special needs within his constituency, and we are optimistic that he will take this back to his party as part of their ongoing efforts to support the care sector.

We extend our sincere thanks to Will and look forward to welcoming him back in the future to continue these important conversations and explore further ways in which we can work together for the betterment of adult social care in our community.