So much more than simply a domiciliary care agency, Overington Care does not merely assist people to live an independent life in their own homes, it also has a strong focus on the mental wellbeing of its clients and its staff. Founder and owner, Nichola, tells us more about her approach and what it means for the community.
Overington Care provides care in the community to support people to remain living independently as they would like in their own homes.
The company was created in 2013 by Nichola Overington, who had more than 28 years of experience in the health and social care sector, after she decided there was an opportunity to create a service that would rival existing care agencies by offering a higher standard of care.
Today, Overington Care provides care to adults over 18 years of age with dementia and learning disabilities and has gained an excellent reputation in the community, being rated ‘outstanding’ under Well Led due to the support it offers clients and employees.
“At Overington Care, we believe that if people can be supported to live well and feel valued as individuals by us listening to what is important, then this will promote the individual’s self-esteem and confidence,” Nichola explains as the organisation’s key ethos. “In turn, we have exceptionally happy clients, employees we retain and, as a direct result, the company is growing.”
Nichola is committed to investing in her staff first and foremost, through dedicated training and time spent making them feel valued. She is an advocate of promoting team building and is proud to say that all her staff members go above and beyond for their clients.
“No one individual at Overington Care is better than the next colleague,” Nichola enthuses. “I can honestly say Overington Care would not exist if it was not for the amazing work all the Health Care Assistants do in supporting all clients, but also their colleagues, constantly working together as a team, supporting each other and learning from one another, to become better versions of ourselves and be the very best we can be.”
There is a system in place where colleagues are in constant contact with one another every single day to ensure they are there to support, advise and liaise with each other whenever and wherever it might be needed. This open culture is useful for all staff and has an end goal of reflection and learning as team members move forward.
As Overington Care has grown, Nichola and the team have created a hub for the community – this being a free service for all community members where they can visit, take advantage of complementary hot drinks, cakes and biscuits, and participate in activities should they wish to do so, such as having their hair done or enjoying a foot spa.
This free service was originally due for a March 2020 launch, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions it brought, the launch is now on hold, with the hope that it may be able to go ahead from Easter 2021.
“This service is all about supporting lonely people in our community so that they feel they have somewhere they can come and feel included, thus reducing the feeling of isolation and helping support them in their mental health journey,” says Nichola.
With regards to the future, Nichola envisions more of the same fantastic work that Overington Care is known for, with the same goals of supporting clients and employee’s mental health, creating an outstanding working environment for staff, and to assist and aid all clients in the community to the best of its abilities.
For further information, please contact Nichola Overington at www.overingtoncareltd.co.uk
