Six months of caring in the community for Visiting Angels franchisee

Local businessman, Shaheer Akhtar, launched his in-home care business, Visiting Angels, in late 2021. Determined to leave a world of suits and briefcases behind to pursue something he genuinely found joy in and had a passion for, Shaheer, along with his team of 14 carers, have been delivering care to those in need, all in the comfort of their own homes. Since launching, they have successfully transformed the standards of care provision in the South Buckinghamshire area, raising the standards for both care staff and clients.

Before launching, Shaheer had seen the trials and tribulations that carers experience first-hand when seeing his own family endure negative care experiences. By combining his caring nature with his strong business sense, he has brought a universally accessible, consistent and exceptional care experience to those in need in the area. Shaheer has hit the 6-month milestone as the Managing Director of Visiting Angels, gaining an understanding of the daily issues that carers face and what is needed from a bespoke and caring brand in order to deliver a high quality and consistent service. Through addressing issues such as poor pay terms and heightening the wellbeing of his staff as much as his clients, he has retained all of his care givers to date and looks to add more to his team – no mean feat considering a staggering 73.5% of home care staff leave their role within the first two years of employment.

“Having had a really mixed experience with my family members when they were in care, I now understand that carer satisfaction hugely impacts the experience of those who need care. My team and I represent a network of like-minded, community-focused people who share a desire to not only deliver high-quality care, but to learn and grow with the area, which we have achieved since we launched,” explained Shaheer.

“It’s very common for those in care to have rushed visits, often delivered by different carers on different days. Visiting Angels is different, delivering consistent care and carers to each client. While this may seem like a small thing, it can drastically improve the quality of care. I’m delighted to have grown and maintained a strong team who are all equally passionate about delivering the best care and want to give back to the community. By continuing to address the issues within the care sector, we have improved the quality of the care sessions for vulnerable people and, in turn, their quality of life.”

Visiting Angels’ ‘carer-centric’ approach sets them apart from other companies in the home-care sector. Through both financial rewards and opportunities for career development, Shaheer has been able to make his Visiting Angels team feel the value and respect that they deserve. By continuing to endeavour to address industry-wide issues, Shaheer’s team of Visiting Angels now delivers 346 hours of care every week.

“I couldn’t have achieved what I have so far without my incredible team providing the high-quality care in our community. Retaining all my care staff since launching is a result of what Visiting Angels is doing to raise standards for the dedicated and exceptional carers who sacrifice so much to work in the industry. We’re currently looking to recruit more carers in the High Wycombe and Amersham areas, and already with a team of carers between 20 and 60 years old, it doesn’t matter if you’re just beginning a career in care or if you’re a seasoned care giver.”

Visiting Angels South Buckinghamshire is there for families who have loved ones that require professional support. For more information, please visit their profile.