Home care firm opens at former high street bank to expand on the Fylde coast

Westmorland Homecare, based in Kendal, offers companionship, personal care, home help and dementia care to those wish to live at home but need assistance.

It was founded by Dr Joshua Macaulay, Dr Christopher Moss and co-director Russell Crossley in a bid to “do things differently” and boost social care by keeping its clients healthy, happy and active and living in their own homes.

Dr Macaulay said: “With a rapidly growing and ageing population many people are struggling to find good quality care at home.

“While working at Blackpool Victoria Hospital I saw the elderly in our community being trapped in hospital.

“I will never forget a lady I cared for in hospital who was ready to go home but caught an infection whilst waiting for a care package and tragically died before she could get back.

“We knew something had to be done. The gold standard of care is to keep people out of hospital in the first place and when they are admitted, to get them back home as soon as they are ready.”

Social care is now at crisis point with Age UK publishing that in a single year, nearly one million hospital bed days were lost (954,799) due to an inability to access social care, with an excess cost of £173m excluding equipment and adaptations.

The company has taken over and renovated the old HSBC bank in Market Place to provide service to clients in Blackpool, Poulton, Fylde, Wyre but hopes to expand to Lytham and Garstang in the future.

And the Cumbria-based company is set to create jobs for 100 care staff over its first 12 months as well as ten further office staff.

The company aims to provide a high quality alternative to traditional home care and specialises in providing the highest quality service from regular staff to give continuity.

It is one of only 14 homecare services in the country to be rated outstanding in every area by independent regulators the CQC.