Home instead employees thrive thanks to £400,000 levy donation

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Last year, tend helped to arrange a transfer of levy funds to national home care provider, Home Instead, from business management software provider, The Access Group.

The sizeable £400,000 donation would make apprenticeships and training possible for Home Instead staff, who may not have otherwise had access to it, enabling care teams to upskill and advance in their careers.

Home Instead received these funds via the government’s levy transfer funding scheme. The initiative allows larger, levy-paying businesses to transfer up to 25% of their legally mandated apprenticeship levy funds to another smaller business or charity.

With 10,000 care professionals caring for 16,000 clients, Home Instead knew the donation would provide much-needed support for their teams. They began to put the funds to effective use, providing their teams with apprenticeship training – with tend delivering the learning. The programmes undertaken range from Level 2 Adult Care Worker, to Level 5 Leader in Adult Care, empowering staff to sharpen their skills and progress professionally.

Beginning to have an impact

This year, Home Instead staff are starting to see all the ways these training opportunities have benefitted both their careers, and the people they care for.

Take Tammy Blackwell, for example. Tammy was able to take on the Level 5 Leader in Adult Care apprenticeship as a direct result of the levy donation. With 25 years of experience, Tammy was ready to take on a new challenge, and level up. Thanks to her newly learned leadership skills, Tammy can now move up and into a more senior position with Home Instead. “It’s well worth doing,” says Tammy. “Any apprenticeship that can help with progression is worth doing.”

Another notable example is Hannah Cowles. Hannah had already completed her Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker programme, and had been promoted during that course. She was progressing organically as she learned. The levy transfer enabled her to dive straight into her Level 5 Leader in Adult Care apprenticeship. Now, Hannah has achieved her goal of becoming Care Manager with Home Instead. “My ultimate goal is to create an outstanding team, and an outstanding business,” says Hannah. “Where family, friends and service users are going to speak highly of the service we’re providing.”

The encouraging ripple effect this has sent through the sector is undeniable. “The professionalisation of care roles and the strategic use of levy transfers have had a significant positive impact on our employees,” says Trish John, Learning and Development Partner for the Home Instead National Office. “By improving the quality of care, enhancing workforce morale, and increasing apprenticeship opportunities, this initiative has created a more robust and dependable care workforce. As the sector continues to evolve, ongoing support for professionalisation and apprenticeship programmes will be essential in meeting the growing demand for high-quality care services.”

Home Instead continues to utilise the levy donation and enable staff to train with tend, allowing them to elevate their already excellent levels of care. By developing their skills, knowledge and behaviours, employees are raising the bar for UK care quality.

About Home Instead

Home Instead UK is a national home care company which specialises in providing care and companionship in the home for older people. It also delivers specialist dementia care, Parkinson’s care, counselling, end-of-life, live-in care, and respite care. With 255 offices caring for over 16,000 clients, Home Instead provides around 6 million hours of relationship-led home care each year.

About Access Group

The Access Group is one of the largest UK-headquartered providers of business software to small and mid-sized organisations in the UK, Ireland and Asia Pacific. It helps more than 75,000 customers across commercial and non-profit sectors, including 10,000 registered care providers and various c50 NHS trusts, become more productive, efficient, and able to provide personalised care.