Home care provider brings high standards to Harrogate district

This story is sponsored by Vermuyden Care.

One of the region’s foremost home care providers is now bringing its flexible, client-centred approach to the Harrogate district after opening a new base at Boroughbridge. 

Vermuyden Care already has an excellent reputation for its elderly and dementia services in its home area of Doncaster, and now aims to provide the same high standard of home care in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Ripon, Thirsk and Easingwold, from its new premises at Ornhams Hall. 

Director Gary Stapleton said: 

“The difference with Vermuyden is that we are endlessly flexible and willing to go to great lengths to accommodate clients’ wishes. 

“Clients can often feel they’re not very involved in their own care – they feel that things are being done to them, not for them – but we’ve never been like that. 

“For example, some home care companies won’t come out to clients before 8am, but a lot of people who are used to getting up early don’t want to suddenly start having a lie-in just to please their carer. Whatever time you want to get up, we’ll be there.

“Similarly, other companies won’t come out after 8pm, but we think that’s treating clients like children, making them go to bed early. However late you want to go to bed, we’ll be there too.

“At Vermuyden, we are totally flexible. Whatever it is you want, we can do.” 

Vermuyden – pronounced ‘Ver-moy-den’ – specialises in dementia care, but also works with clients with physical and learning disabilities, and offers mental health support. The company provides long-term home care services as well as short-term respite care, and aims to make sure people living in rural areas are not cut off from the help they need.

Vermuyden employs over 100 people, including 15 from its Boroughbridge office. It recruits locally and takes on permanent, experienced staff on high wages, ensuring it only employs the very best carers in the sector. This is important, said Gary, because employees need to be able to provide more than just personal care. He said: 

“The care is the easy part – it’s all the other stuff that’s harder to get right, and we put a huge amount of effort into making sure that we do. 

“We want clients to feel they’re getting the service they deserve.” 

If you’re interested in receiving the very best in personal home care – or you know someone who might be – call us on 01423 800674, or take a look at our website, www.vermuyden.co.uk. 

 

Care home staff and residents at centre of recruitment campaign

Care home residents and staff in North Yorkshire have spoken out in support of a recruitment campaign urging people to “make a difference on your doorstep”.

Make Care Matter has been launched by North Yorkshire County Council with the aims of tackling a critical shortfall in workers and changing perceptions of the sector which is enduring a major challenge to attract and retain staff.

There are around 1,000 jobs available across the county and those who rely on and work in care have now come together to provide a boost for the campaign.

Nick Moxon, who has cerebral palsy and is a resident at Disability Action Yorkshire‘s Claro Road care home in Harrogate, is one of several people featuring in TV adverts from this week. He told a press conference today:

“Our carers at Claro Road are like family – they pick us up when we are feeling down and keep us smiling.

“The care sector needs a shot in the arm so hopefully by launching this campaign and playing our part this will be the start of a turning point in the way the care sector is perceived.”

Mr Moxon’s carer Jade Bullock added:

“I have created a caring bond with customers here at Disability Action Yorkshire and this is something people will not understand until they have experienced it for themselves.

“There is satisfaction in this job you won’t find anywhere else.”

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The county council says people of all ages and backgrounds can work in care and that the need for more people to join the sector has never been greater.

It is also calling on national government to review the status of the social care workforce.

The council’s corporate director for health and adult services, Richard Webb, said the care profession needed to be recognised on the same level as the NHS to help attract new recruits.

Mr Webb said:

“We are asking the wider community to see care through the eyes of people who use services and those who work in the sector.

“We want you to understand how vital it is and see a different picture.

“There are opportunities for everyone in every community. Please come join us and give it a try.”

To find out more about job opportunities go to www.makecarematter.co.uk

‘Terrifying but rewarding’: Harrogate home carer reflects on another covid year

A Harrogate home carer has said working through a pandemic for 20 months has been some of the hardest months she’s had to face.

Throughout the pandemic home carers have continued to go into the homes of the vulnerable even if covid was present. One of those is Rachel Yarwood,  an assistant manager at St Margaret’s Homecare, which assists people in their homes in and around Harrogate.

She said coronavirus has meant her job can be both “terrifying and rewarding”.

Working through different tiers in full PPE has not been easy for anyone on the frontline, but Ms Yarwood said she felt home carers in particular were the “forgotten group”.

She said doing 17-18 calls a day while trying to bathe people was extremely tough. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the St Margaret’s staff were making aprons out of car seat covers to prevent them running out.

“The NHS have been amazing but we have worked hard too to keep people out of hospital and at home.

“It’s been extremely hard at times. I remember having a chat with my daughter at the beginning giving her instructions on how to look after my other two kids in case I got it because back then we didn’t know how bad it would be.”

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For many of the clients, Ms Yarwood and her team were the only people they were seeing for a long time. She said “we became like family”.

“Some were really depressed at times. It was really hard to see some of them deteriorate and feel so lonely.”

Looking ahead to next year, Ms Yarwood said:

“We aren’t becoming complacent, we know covid isn’t going anywhere. But we are much more prepared now. We’ll just keep pulling together as a team.”

The November image from the charity calendar

Ms Yarwood and her team have also been photographed for a charity calendar to raise money for Mind. She said the ‘Covid Calendar Girls’ calendar came about after seeing the impact of isolation on clients.

She said:

“We just wanted to do out bit and it was a lot of fun. I hope it makes a few people smile and more importantly raises money for Mind.”

To find out more and support the calendar appeal, click here.