The Business of Care

Our director, Ian Barnes, takes us through how important the business of Care really is - and why it shouldn't be seen as a a heartless corporation.

The reason I set up Bluebird Care Shropshire was because the level of care my elderly mother-in-law received at home was truly shocking and I knew I could do a better job, so decided to look into franchise opportunities. I love seeing something I started flourish.

I’ve said from the beginning that the business comes first – and that’s not me being heartless. Without the business we couldn’t hire people, and without the people we hire we could not provide care – the business of care is an incredibly important one and without it many vulnerable people would suffer. Operating a Bluebird Care franchise is amazing because I am running a profitable business that delivers quality service to my local community, giving something back and genuinely helping people.

We’ve been running for over 10 years now, have 2 offices in Shrewsbury and Oswestry, over 100 staff across Shropshire including a team in Church Stretton and a specialist Live In team. We also have some incredibly happy staff that have stayed with us for 10 years or more.

We offer thorough training with on-going support and encourage qualifications and further training. We have put a robust career pathway in place and have seen carers climb the ranks from starting with us with no experience to becoming senior supervisors and managers. We also offer long service awards for anyone who works with us for 12 months or more in the shape of a £150 treat of their choice.

Over the time we’ve been in business we’ve employed approximately eight hundred people and looked after thousands of customers in Shrewsbury, Oswestry and Church Stretton – without the business these jobs wouldn’t have been available and those customers wouldn’t have received the excellent care that we provide.

But it hasn’t been an easy road- There is a genuine shortage of care workers for elderly people who need help, but can’t access it, and there is a growing issue with bed blocking where people have to stay in hospital longer than necessary as there aren’t enough care staff in the community to help them recover at home.

It worries me that some young people would prefer more low-skilled jobs in pubs, restaurants or shops, which often only pay minimum wage, when we are here, offering jobs county-wide in really varied and fulfilling roles with the very real potential for career progression. We have increased our rates of pay twice in the last 12 months and offer a fantastic salary package – over £20k a year for full time workers and up to 39% higher than the minimum wage, with guaranteed full or part-time hours, flexible to suit people’s circumstances. These business decisions directly affect our customers – and the bigger the business gets, the more people we can help. That’s an amazing thing.