Former Chancellor officially opens SureCare Guildford & Woking at launch event

SureCare Guildford & Woking held our official launch event last week, with Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in attendance as our guest of honour.

The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, MP for Godalming and Ash, joined us at Godalming United Church on Friday 18th October, along with over 60 guests, including stakeholders from Surrey County Council, local hospitals, charities, SureCare staff and a number of the clients we look after.

During the launch event, we heard key speeches from Mr Hunt, as well as from one of our care workers about why she loves her job, and the daughter of a mum who receives our care services.

Having recently secured our registration with the Care Quality Commission, SureCare Guildford & Woking now offers a full range of regulated care and non-regulated support services to people in the local community. Alongside Domiciliary Care, our range of services includes Live-in Care, Respite Care, Dementia Care and Complex Care.

Managing Director of SureCare Guildford & Woking, Shahid Younis, is hoping to grow our team to 50 people over the next two years to meet the needs of people in Guildford, Woking, Aldershot, Godalming, Cranleigh and Farnham.

Shahid, who has a background in the tech industry, has been a councillor for over 15 years and is a trustee of two charities. He was inspired to launch a home care business because he is passionate about providing people with the best possible care so they can continue to live in their own homes. He has also pledged to donate 2.5% of the business’ annual profits to supporting charitable causes, reinforcing his mission to make a positive impact both within and beyond the care SureCare Guildford & Woking provides.

Shahid said: “At SureCare, we are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality adult care that allows individuals to live with dignity, respect and independence in the comfort of their own homes. Our services are person-centered and designed to meet the diverse needs of the community.

“Most of my family are medics so you could say that caring is in my blood. I want to add value to people’s lives and give something back to the community.

“I believe what we’re doing is different. We offer flexible packages based on a person’s needs and we adapt these to fit the person we’re looking after. I like to take our service users out for a meal, to hear about their lives, to listen to their stories, and to give them the opportunity to put a face to the person running the company.

“I’m really proud of my team and I value them all highly, especially because it’s hard work, lonely and challenging to be a care worker. I want them all to feel valued and supported and I’m really pleased that morale is so high.”

Jeremy Hunt said: “Thanks to Shahid Younis and his team for inviting me to the launch of SureCare Guildford & Woking which offers domiciliary, respite and live in care.

“We know that in-home care and support can help prevent prolonged hospital stays which eases pressure on the NHS but it is also the type of care most of us would prefer.

“It was wonderful to hear the stories of one client who is thriving now she has the right support at home as well as a fantastic care worker whose pride in her work shone through.”

During the launch, guests heard from senior care worker Jessica, who was born deaf and began working in the care sector shortly before having a life-changing cochlear implant ten years ago.

She said: “When I first went in to care work, I knew I wanted to do something that involved looking after people, but I wasn’t sure If I was able to do this, because of my deafness. I thought this would limit my chances as a care worker and be a hindrance for the clients.

“In fact, I found this to be the opposite of my expectations. I had the advantage of understanding what it is like to have a limitation, and clients felt more at ease knowing someone understood their own constraints.

“I love that I can help clients feel comfortable and well looked after in the care I give. It is very much an ethos in SureCare’s values in ensuring clients are safe in their own homes.”

The audience also heard from Debbie, whose 95-year-old mum receives help from SureCare.

Debbie said: “SureCare have been wonderful and the team who look after my mum are, in her own words, ‘worth their weight in gold’. They are more than carer workers; they are friends and their company is just as important as the tasks they do.

“They care for the whole family and are always there for us too. I can’t put a value on the support they have given me, navigating the unknown and calming my anxiety.

“The improvement that care and proper nutrition has made to my mum is incredible. Friends, family and health professionals are all amazed at her progress.”

SureCare Guildford & Woking is a franchise of SureCare, which provides an extensive range of care and support services thanks to teams operating in local communities across the UK. Established in 1994, SureCare has three decades of experience operating in the personal care sector, and has become one of the country’s fastest growing care companies, with franchisees like Shahid and his team delivering quality services for all stages of life’s journey.

Gary Farrer, Managing Director of SureCare, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Shahid on board as our franchisee for Guildford & Woking.

“We were impressed with his passion to deliver home care services of the highest quality to people in his area.”