CMM meets Tresacare
CMM: What prompted you to enter the Care Innovation Challenge?
Elizabeth: Previously, I was working in the financial sector and it made me think; why am I working so hard and for what purpose? In 2020, I experienced a ‘life shock’ during the pandemic and I wanted to do meaningful work that supports the incredible work that care workers do. I now get so much joy from the work that I do; it’s a people industry. I was also actually sat on the front row at the Care Show in 2022 when the winner was announced – so I had a heads up!
CMM: So, what’s your idea for the Care Innovation Challenge?
Elizabeth: Tresacare is a care worker support platform dedicated to empowering care workers and care organisations through holistic, impactful training, and strategic consultancy services, thereby fostering a thriving work environment and enhancing care quality. We are planning to provide training courses and induction programmes specifically designed for care workers. A communication skills online course forms a critical part of this programme but isn’t the sole focus.
CMM: Did you conduct any market research or pilot programmes?
Elizabeth: Tresacare, in partnership with Care Providers’ Voice (CPV), received funding from Health Education England (HEE) to conduct a three-month programme for care workers – Mental Health and Wellbeing Workshops and Support Session. The pilot took place between March and May 2023, and we had 23 care workers from 8 care organisations graduate from the program. 95% of care workers gave an answer of nine and above when asked if they would recommend our services. After completing the program, employers reported that 90% of care workers demonstrated improved communication skills; and 96% of care workers showed increased motivation and engagement.
CMM: Which mentors have you received support from and how are you developing the idea?
Elizabeth: Neil Eastwood is my mentor; we are meeting every week and he sees the huge potential of the product. We are going to focus on how we scale the idea. Initially, we are going to be putting together a one-hour online course focussing on communication skills. The course outline is going to be on how you improve your relationships with your clients and with your teams. We also plan to have a dedicated module for supervisors and managers on how you improve your communication within your team and manage a team. We are very focused on co-design, as we want to ensure that our course content is going to be relevant and impactful.
CMM: How will your offering differ from other training providers in the care sector?
Elizabeth: Our approach was inspired by a case study from the US, shared with me by Neil Eastwood. The study highlighted the profound impact of incorporating communication skills, peer mentoring, and other components in improving retention rates for new joiners in the sector. We plan to adopt these insights for the UK market, and we’re continuing to build on the success of our pilot program to establish a training academy. We are focussed on improving employee retention for care providers; and we’re committed to investing in care workers, enhancing their soft skills which, in turn, uplifts the quality of care they offer.
CMM: How did you find the Care Innovation Challenge weekend overall?
Elizabeth: It was super fun! I really enjoyed the whole process; the idea generation, the creativity and the open mindedness that anything is possible and that we just need to create it. The challenge gives people such an amazing platform – the networking and the connections that people can make at the weekend is so great. My advice is to go into it for the process and the learning and not the winning.
For more information about Tresacare, visit Care Worker Wellbeing | Tresacare
CMM meets Well Pal
CMM: Why did you decide to get involved and what’s your connection to care?
Rahim: As a solo entrepreneur, having an idea is quite daunting. It’s an uncertain journey, trying to bring that idea to life. The Challenge allowed me to test and develop the idea, receive feedback from experts and have the mentorship from people who work in the sector and have a unique perspective. I saw firsthand how quickly my grandma started to struggle to do daily activities as she aged. However, I saw how some really simple support could brighten her day. Family members were stepping in, helping her prepare her meals, go for a walk etc. I wanted to create a solution to help.
CMM: How does Well Pal work?
Rahim: One million adults go without the support they need – and a similar number are isolated. Well Pal is an app that connects students to older people to support with companionship and to help with daily activities. That could be anything from household chores, guided exercise, transport; but most importantly, it’s about helping older adults to do things they love. The app is for older adults who are at home in the community.
CMM: Have you scoped out your competitors?
Rahim: The NHS GoodSam App has just been expanded to social care – which involves volunteers helping with dropping off groceries, medicines etc. Well pal is a paid service and is about helping people promote their wellbeing, helping them to thrive. We would try and match an individual with someone who has a shared interest. I’m trying to stay away from the word ‘care’ because I don’t want the users to search by care needs. I want them to search by their goals, their interests and what they want to achieve. As we age, the things that we love doing become more difficult – a lot of things that are done with people – tennis, swimming etc. It’s about helping people to continue to do the things that they love to do. Our motto is helping you to stay well for longer.
CMM: What’s been the response of the idea so far?
Rahim: We’ve had a lot of feedback from family members of older adults, who have said it would be life changing. Family members are stepping in at the start of that caring journey, but they have other pressures, childcare, work etc. The fact that their parent can be engaged in activities that they enjoy a couple of times a week, really helps to take the pressure off them.
CMM: Where will you be focussing your investment?
Rahim: Well, I would focus investment on the development of the app – developing a basic matching feature. Something else that came out of the weekend was the scope for the app being an asset for people with learning disabilities, with people who are matched with similar people of similar age. Building the relationship between the older person and Pal will be essential and there will be an introductory session and with a Well Pal team member to explain the process in more detail and to have an initial visit. In terms of costings, the older person would be covering the cost of the activity and paying for the younger person/the Pal to participate. I will also be implementing health assessments, safety awareness training and safeguarding best practices.
CMM: How did you find the Innovation Challenge Weekend?
Rahim: It’s invaluable to have experts that you would not ordinarily have access to. Providing their own perspectives and explaining the challenges in the care sector and allowing us to frame how our ideas could help the sector was incredibly helpful. We spoke about developing the idea of matching and groups/ways to access support. A couple of the mentors were discussing that this is going to be a route into the sector for young carers. It’s companionship and can develop the skills and confidence of young people to then transition into a career in care. It was a fantastically well organised day, great choice of breath within the industry. Great all round!
For the five finalists it all comes down to the next few weeks and the continued mentorship they will receive as they prepare for the final at The Care Show at the Birmingham NEC on 11th and 12th October. Meanwhile, applications have opened for The Care innovation Challenge 2024! Visit the Care Innovation Hub website: https://careinnovationhub.org.uk/challenge/ and follow #CareInnovationChallenge for ongoing updates and the final reveal of the winning project.
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