Gwynedd Care Service to Expand Across Region
Meddyg Care’s home care service, Help at Home, has grown significantly since its launch three years ago, now employing over 70 staff and providing more than 1,500 hours of care a week to 87 people in rural Gwynedd.
The service has helped ease the pressure on the NHS, according to managing director Kevin Edwards, by providing care to people who would otherwise be stuck in hospital or need residential care.
Meddyg Care is now planning to expand its Help at Home service across North Wales, with the goal of recreating its success in Gwynedd across Conwy, Denbighshire, and Flintshire.
Kevin Edwards said the service has become a vital lifeline to vulnerable people living in remote areas, providing support with personal care, mobility issues, and dementia care.
The company launched Help at Home in March 2023, starting with just one client, and has since grown quickly due to high demand.
The recruitment of a team of drivers has been key to the service’s success, allowing carers who cannot drive to reach clients in far-flung areas.
Many of the carers did not have a driving license, either due to the cost of driving lessons or the lack of availability of lessons and tests in the area, which is a common issue in rural areas.
Laura Haynes, manager of the Help at Home service, said the team of drivers has been essential in allowing the service to reach the most remote areas of Gwynedd.
The service has received positive feedback from families, who say it has allowed them to be a daughter or son again, rather than the sole carer.
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According to fellow director Nicola Rutherford, the service has eased the pressure on family members who were having to care for their loved ones.
Nicola Rutherford said the service gives families the gift of being able to be a family member again, rather than a carer.
The service’s drivers play a significant role in ensuring that carers can reach clients, regardless of the weather conditions, which is essential for providing consistent care.
Laura Haynes noted that the service’s goal is to provide more than just basic care, but to also provide companionship and support to clients.
As the service continues to grow, Laura Haynes is always looking for ways to improve and expand the service to meet the growing demand.
In practice, this expansion will mean that more people in North Wales will have access to the kind of care that allows them to stay in their own homes, rather than being forced into hospital or residential care.
This, in turn, will have a positive impact on the NHS, as well as on the families of those receiving care, who will be able to return to their normal roles, rather than taking on the burden of care themselves.
It will have a positive impact.
