Liberty Private Care Ltd

"Despite being a registered nurse and having a domiciliary care company in Lancashire, when it came to looking after my own mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s soon after we moved to Dorset, I found it overwhelming and virtually a full-time job. With two teenagers still at home, it got too much for me having her living with us, and we found her an apartment with a care provision in the building that provided peace of mind to know that she was safe.

However, I still had to do the shopping, take her to appointments, take her out, pay her bills, etc. I felt guilty for not having her living with us, despite having many times in the past having told relatives of perspective clients that it was usually unsustainable and you would end up resenting your loved one and become burnt out without any help and regular respite.

I found a care company that could provide carers to take her out a couple of times a week, but I was given no feedback from the visits and of course, my mother couldn’t remember what she’d done. As she was also an insulin-dependent diabetic, she often had to wait for hours for the district nurse to come to give her insulin. I found the whole experience disappointing, but couldn’t find a care company locally that could provide the quality of service and carers that I could trust, knew what they were doing, as many were taken on with no experience and just given online induction training.

Over the months, as I discussed it with Andrew, we realised that we could provide the care service ourselves that I’d been looking for, and Liberty Private Care was born. Sadly, it came too late for my mother, but my experience drives me to provide the quality of carers and service to others that I wanted for her.

Andrew is the Co-Founder and Director of Liberty and has 30 years of direct experience in health and social care. Over the last 24 years, he has pushed back barriers to advance the administration of medication in people's homes, was the first homecare provider in the North West to achieve the Six Steps End of Life Accreditation, represented the sector at national and regional events and developed the training of our carers to bridge the gap between care and nursing.

I have worked in the sector for over 35 years, my hands-on experience has never left me, and I value and appreciate the hard work and dedication needed to provide Outstanding care and support to those we care for.

For the past 25 years, I have worked as a Registered Manager specialising in Domiciliary Care and Complex Needs.

My satisfaction from the job comes from seeing, hearing and experiencing our teams’ achievements and the satisfaction from our clients whom we support. Investment in bespoke training, development, support and guidance is paramount to running a successful company. I am lucky as a manager to have found Liberty Private Care, which is willing to invest in this.

I came into the care sector late after working in hospitality and retail, also having two children and 20 years of working within my husband’s building business. After this, I really desired to do something completely different.

I started six years ago (not long before Covid hit) and very soon I realised care was a career I really could feel good about "giving back". I started in elderly care and nursing homes, and after gaining knowledge, experience and confidence, I wanted to try another route, one that enabled me to grow my relationships with my clients as I have more time with them. I really enjoy giving 100% to my clients, getting to know them as a person and giving them totally adaptable care for their needs. This, I feel, I can achieve working in domiciliary care with Liberty.

After a year working with my management team, the co-owners Andrew and Fiona Key, I was supported and given the confidence to do my Level 3 in Health and Social Care. This has led to me becoming the supervisor, which enables me to continue working with the clients and assisting in ensuring we as a team are giving the best possible care.

At Liberty, I'm proud to be part of a team that supports each other and our clients to the best of our ability.

I have completed and achieved my Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social Care whilst working in the sector.

I have supported many individuals living with Dementia and gained further experience with Liberty Private Care, caring for those with more Complex Care Requirements.

'I can't believe that next year I will be celebrating 40 years of working in the care profession. I have always felt that this was the path for me, and I began my career as a trainee care assistant working in a residential home for young adults with physical disabilities, predominantly those with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I worked my way up to Assistant Manager before going on maternity leave. I soon returned on a part-time basis, working nights and evenings. Over the years, I have had various roles and responsibilities and was a Team Leader working with people of all ages with various disabilities before leaving 4 years ago to start my new journey with Liberty Private Care.

I have completed various courses and have a Diploma in Welfare Studies and NVQ 3 in Care.

I think one of my greatest achievements since joining Liberty was working with a lady who had Alzheimer's. We used to love making meals and baking cakes together. With gentle prompts and guidance, she would suddenly remember how to complete a particular task. Her smile said it all.

I really enjoy visiting our clients in their homes and hope that I am making a positive impact on their day to day lives.'