Care professional is on a mission to improve Calderdale and Kirklees home care

An award-winning home care service set up to tackle the UK’s social care crisis is helping dozens of residents in Calderdale and Kirklees to live independently in their own homes.
The Care Collection aims to raise standards of home care and offer an alternative to moving to a care home.The Care Collection aims to raise standards of home care and offer an alternative to moving to a care home.
The Care Collection aims to raise standards of home care and offer an alternative to moving to a care home.

With over 25 years’ care experience, Catherine Haigh founded The Care Collection in 2017 to raise standards of home care and offer an alternative to moving to a care home for older people, as well as children and younger adults with disabilities.

She drew on her experience working in the sector when setting up the company – which now provides more than 1,000 hours of care per week to 80 local residents.

“The UK’s social services is failing people across the country and it’s getting worse: it’s under-funded and overstretched,” explains Catherine.

“We provide people with bespoke, high quality professional care in the comfort of their own home.

“Many people don't realise that they have the power to choose their home care service according to what suits them: if your needs assessment recommends home care, you can get help with the cost from the local authority.

“This means residents have the right to choose what's best for them and take ownership of their care by controlling their own budget.”

The Care Collection model is entirely client-focussed, enabling people to lead meaningful and active lives, says Catherine, which led to it being named one of the Top 20 Home Care Providers in Yorkshire in 2018 and 2019, based on client feedback on independent review site homecare.co.uk.

Continuity of staff is key, so you’ll see the same faces each time, and each visit lasts a minimum of one hour, giving their highly trained carers time to talk and take an interest in you – which encourages relationships to flourish.

“During my career I saw poor practice and lack of knowledge, with many care companies being run with inadequate leadership by people with no care experience,” she continues. “I felt sad that people were being let down and was compelled to help. That is how The Care Collection was born.”

Their hourly home care services range from support with everyday living, including companionship, domestic support, medication assistance and personal care, through to more complex care for people with conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s and diabetes; The Care Collection also supports younger adults and children affected by physical and sensory impairments and learning disabilities.

They can provide live-in care where a carer lives with the individual 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to meet all their needs. This service offers many benefits over a care home, including dedicated care, more choice and the ability to maintain an active social life, adds Catherine: it can also be a more cost-effective option, particularly for couples.

The firm received a ‘good’ rating in all five areas from the Care Quality Commission, with the inspector noting “without exception, all the people that we spoke to told us staff provided personalised care and support that was extremely responsive to the needs of the people who used the service”.

“We are incredibly proud to have received this rating,” says Catherine. “By recruiting caring and committed people and putting our clients’ needs at the forefront of our service, we have created a compassionate culture which ensures we deliver a service that the community can rely on and trust.”

The expanding company is taking on more staff in early 2020 to meet the increased demand for their services as more people choose to remain living independently in their own homes. If you have a caring nature and a professional, positive attitude, visit www.thecarecollection.co.uk for more information about becoming a home care assistant.

To learn more about how The Care Collection can help you or a member of your family, call the team on 01422 887733 or email [email protected]