About Sarah’s Carers
In 2013, motivated by both a personal mission and a community need, Sarah Seaman and her daughter Nicola embarked on a transformative mission to build a care company based on redressing some of the negative perspectives of care at home, with a particular passion for providing end-of-life care.
This gave rise to Sarah’s Carers, a care agency based in Woodbridge, that reflects their commitment and heartfelt investment in offering compassionate care to their clients. Drawing from four decades of nursing experience, Sarah was inspired to act by her husband's terminal illness and the difficulties they encountered within the care sector and NHS.
Central to the mission of Sarah's Carers is the belief that everyone, regardless of their specific needs—be it assistance with personal care, mobility, dietary needs, or simply the desire for social interaction and maintaining independence—deserves to receive support that is not only comprehensive but also empathetic. Recognising the broad spectrum of needs among their clients, from those facing difficulties in performing daily routines to individuals with dementia requiring constant support to ensure their safety and well-being at home, Sarah's Carers provides tailored services ranging from hourly visits to full-time, live-in care. This approach allows individuals to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes, amongst their cherished memories, rather than moving to a care facility.
Can you share the goals you had in mind when establishing Sarah's Carers?
From its inception, Sarah’s Carers aim was to build trust through genuine care and an understanding that continual learning and development for our team is crucial to providing first class services. This includes end of life as well as more general support. Our focus was not just on the physical aspects of end-of-life care but on emotional and psychological support, such as aiding conversations that reignited happy memories for families and patients. Given that we operate within the patient's own home, our approach has enabled a more intimate and reassuring end-of-life experience, in accordance with our philosophy of ensuring we are offering a meaningful experience not just for the patient, but the whole family. Our end-of-life experience creates enduring memories for families and shouldn't be marred by additional stress over the caregivers' level of expertise.
What did winning the ‘End of Life Care’ award mean to you and your team?
Winning the 'End of Life Care' award at the Suffolk Care Awards was a significant step for us all at Sarah's Carers. It provided external validation [that we didn’t realise we needed!] of our hard work and our dedication to our clients over the past 11 years. On the night it felt very emotional to us all and I believe created a moment of reflection for the whole team. It has also further strengthened our determination to maintain our high level of care and to continue striving for improvements in our services.
The accolade also illustrated the crucial role of feedback from our clients, with numerous supportive nominations from patients’ families, we intend to develop further opportunities for patients and their families to express their appreciation of our staff and the care we provide to the client.
We were also finalists in the 'Small Team of the Year' award, and while we didn't get a win this time, the nomination once again demonstrated the exceptional skills of our remarkable team and the quality of our domiciliary care services.
How do you support your team with professional development?
We have always been impressed by the support provided by Christian Bone and the team at Care Development East. A member of our team is currently attending a course with CDE, and we have enrolled staff in additional courses based on the recent information received from CDE via newsletters and a supportive WhatsApp group. The communications and updates from CDE are consistently informative, offering reassurance in knowing that supplementary support is accessible whenever needed.
What challenges do you think the care sector is currently facing?
A significant challenge within our industry is recruitment. I believe in offering salaries based on agreed shift patterns that account for travel time. We cover mileage expenses between clients and provide 28 days of paid holiday, demonstrating that it's possible to offer employment terms comparable to what staff working directly for the NHS or Social Services might expect. Fortunately, this approach has resulted in a much more stable workforce for us. It's crucial for all employers in the social care sector to offer fair pay to caregivers to attract and retain talent, especially at a time when the industry is grappling with a situation where the rate of employee turnover exceeds that of recruitment.
Another significant issue from the client perspective, is the delay in people seeking the support they need. This hesitancy often arises from a reluctance to seek help until it becomes absolutely necessary. The message from me is to emphasise the importance of seeking assistance and support before reaching a crisis point. Ignoring early signs of decline, such as a decrease in mobility or inadequate nutrition, can lead to early deterioration. Unfortunately, many people and their families wait until they are in a state of desperation before seeking help, which can further complicate their situation.
What makes working in the care industry so special?
Without doubt, the most rewarding aspect of our work is the ability to make a difference in people’s lives, keeping them comfortable and dignified in their own homes surrounded by a lifetime of memories. The personal satisfaction resulting from helping others and being welcomed into the familiar settings of clients’ homes and into their family’s lives motivates us to continue our mission to provide the highest level of care including the terminal phase of a person’s life at the end of life.
Sarah’s Carers understands the impact of compassionate, personalised care on the quality of end-of-life experiences for patients and their families. Winning the 'End of Life Award' at the Suffolk Care Awards not only recognised their dedication and excellence but also highlighted the broader significance of their work within the community and the care sector.
