Home Instead (Dudley and Sandwell South)

Hello, I'm Marie

I'm the Care Manager here at Home Instead, but like everyone else, I began my career here as a CAREGiver. I knew very little about the care sector when I came to work here, but I knew it was an area I wanted to learn more about as I intended to go back to University to become a Social Worker. However, like almost everyone who works here, I found that I loved this type of work, what Home Instead stands for, it's ethos and quality of care delivered, so I stayed. My previous job was as Customer Services Manager at Dudley Zoo, so I know what it takes to deliver a great customer experience and have brought these skills to my current position.

I'm very proud of Home Instead and the work we do and, as Care Manager, I am responsible for all of the day to day activities and to make sure the office runs smoothly. The quality of the care delivered by our CAREGivers is extremely important to me and I refuse to let anyone 'rest on their laurels' as I am always looking for ways to continually improve our service.

In my spare time, I spend time with my husband, family and friends. I also enjoy reading, craft activities and learning how to better use technology. I am also known for my unhealthy obsession with stationery!

Hello, I'm Julie

I am one of the owners of Home Instead Dudley & Sandwell South. In the beginning, I did whatever needed doing - and to some extent, still do - however, my main responsibilities these days are compliance, planning and overall business development.

I am so proud of everything we have achieved so far at Home Instead and I am looking forward to continuing to grow without compromising the quailty of care we deliver. Our strap line on the company logo is 'To us, it's personal' this embodies how I feel about the company; looking after someone else's family member is incredibly personal, and we instil this in our staff from the very beginning.

When I trained and qualified as a nurse, care of the patient was very much our focus; over the years, this changed and it became more about targets and paperwork, so I left. I re-trained as a teacher and taught Health & Social Care in a local secondary school. When the focus of this job became about the results the children achieved, rather than the children themselves, I left there too. Now I am working in a environment where we get to make the decisions of how we operate as a company, I can promise you that our clients and our staff will always be the main focus of Home Instead.

In my spare time I enjoy anything craft-related, reading, jigsaws, recording our family memories for our grandson, and spending time with him and the rest of my family and friends. Like Marie, I, too have an unhealthy obsession with stationery and a bit of a Netflix dependency!

I love that this is a family-run business, and I love the family-feel we have created. Why not give us a call and let my family help you support yours?

Hello, I'm Ian.

I'm one of the owners here at Home Instead Dudley and my main responsibilities are all things financial and I also am actively involved in the initial training and education of our CAREGivers. I feel that it's very important that I am involved at this early stage of our CAREGiver's journey, as I want to make sure that the people we employ have the same values as we do. We can teach them to do the job, but we can't teach them to be kind and caring - that's who they are. I have to be happy that I would send them to look after members of my own family before they look after you or your family. Julie and I take the responsibility of owning a Home Instead Franchise very seriously and the quality of the service we provide is hugely personal to us both. We understand how difficult it can be letting someone else care for yourself or your loved ones, and through our relationship-led care, we hope to earn your trust and become part of your life.

I am a family man first and foremost and spend huge amounts of any free time with our daughters, son-in-law and grandson. However, I am also a lifelong Wolves supporter, avid horse racing (non-betting) fan and resident dad-joke teller. I am told that I have modelled my 'act' on Eric Morecambe's piano playing! All the right jokes, not necessarily in the right order - there's a reference for people over a certain age!