Personalised short-term or long-term care in the West Sussex area for elderly and those with additional needs
Carole Westgate and her daughter Josie are the women behind Support Solutions (West Sussex) which offers a comprehensive range of care for people in their own homes in the region.
Carole Westgate, who founded the company in 2020We are a small team which allows us to offer continuity of care and a personal service. Our aim is to look after loved ones as if they were our own family.
She says care work is something that gives her a lot of job satisfaction.
“It’s that feeling at the end of the day that you have helped someone to enjoy life in their own home,” she said. “People want to stay at home and to be cared for in their own environment. It means family and friends can visit at any time and they do not feel institutionalised.”
Carole began working as a carer to fit in with raising a family, and now has over 20 years experience in the profession working as a carer, a field care supervisor, care manager and having gained NVQ Level 5 qualifications. She says she saw a need for more care, particularly coming out of lockdown, and set up the local franchise business, and now covers most parts of West Sussex, including Lancing, Littlehampton and Worthing.
As well as offering short or long-term personal and practical care for older people or people recuperating, people with learning or physical challenges Carole says they also provide a lot of companionship care.
Carole WestgateSometimes people just need more social care – someone to sit down and have a cup of tea and a biscuit with them.
But it might be that someone needs a carer to take them out, to pick up prescriptions, accompany them to appointments and other visits.
Being a franchise allows the business to offer a local, bespoke service, but gives Carole, Josie and the team all the support and back-up of a larger company.
Thinking about care?
Whether it’s for yourself or a loved one, it can be hard to make the first step towards arranging care.
Carole said one of the biggest barriers can be acceptance that help is needed, and the fear of losing independence. This is something she understands well and minimising that fear is part of their care approach.
“The person being cared for is involved at the outset of discussing and writing a care plan. This also helps us find out about the person’s background, their likes and interests and helps us match a suitable carer to their needs,” she says.
Once someone contacts Support Solutions, she will visit the person and the family – linking in the family in a group phone call if they cannot be there in person – to find out what might be needed and how they could support. Carole will then suggest and write out a care plan – all of this is free and there’s no obligation to take it up.
“We really try to match the characters of those we are caring for with the staff and match the skills and the background. I can only do that by getting to know the person,” says Carole.
Sometimes care is only needed for a very short time – for example if someone can only be discharged home from hospital if care is in place. But, Carole says, often once the person gets home and back in their own environment they can cope a lot better and the care is not needed. In other circumstances care can last for a lot longer, but can mean that someone lives in their own home for a lot longer than otherwise might be possible.
Carole is on call 24-hours a day for any issues that might crop up and carers work between 7am and 10pm.
Find out more
To make an enquiry call the office on 01903 866959 or email Carole Westgate on [email protected]. You can visit the website here