Meet the couple bringing compassionate care to Coventry and the surrounding communities
In a move inspired by a desire to educate and help the community, Binley locals Sunny and Gagan Dhaliwal are bringing a fresh perspective to local care provision with the launch of their new in-home care business, Visiting Angels. Firm believers that everyone should get to choose who looks after them when in need of care, the pair have placed an emphasis on helping people feel safe while building real connections with highly skilled carers across Coventry, Kenilworth, Rugby and the surrounding areas.
Starting her career in adult social care specialising in mental health, Sunny found her calling caring for those in need of additional support for complex and diverse needs. Launching Visiting Angels has been a long-term ambition, enabling her to make a real difference and have the autonomy to provide the care she feels is desperately missing from the system currently. Gagan, meanwhile, discovered the importance of high-quality care providers after witnessing how much his own grandfather, who suffered from Dementia before passing away, relied on personal, attentive care. Now, after devoting himself to improving conditions within the industry for clients and carers alike, Gagan and Sunny have made it their mission to do things differently.
“Something we noticed when we were helping loved ones who needed care was just how stretched the care system in the UK is,” said Gagan. “We’ve seen first-hand how limited carers find themselves when trying to provide exceptional and diverse services to those in need and have previously had to accept loved ones receiving rushed care visits as short as 15 minutes as it was all that available. But we understand that’s not enough. Carers deserve to have the resources to provide the level of service they’d want to see given to their own loved ones. If a carer doesn’t feel looked after themselves, they are going to be limited in what they can do to care for others.”
“We really want to educate people about caring for people with different health problems, particularly Alzheimer’s and dementia, as we’ve seen the toll they take on both the person themselves and their family. We are committed to giving people the freedom and the comfort they deserve, and we will make sure they are cared for as if by their own relatives, especially as care can feel so isolating.”
The UK’s care system is struggling, and too often failing, to meet the needs of the growing elderly population. With society's needs becoming increasingly complex, care providers are now faced with the challenging task of ensuring carers are continually upskilled while providing financial and personal recognition. With caregiver turnover rising to 77% in 2023 for reasons such as low pay, poor working conditions and too much responsibility1, Visiting Angels' revitalised approach of caring for carers before anyone else is addressing the need to establish a strong, committed and highly skilled workforce. Prioritising career development and real financial recognition as they grow the operation, Sunny and Gagan are determined to reform the care industry's conditions, which often leaves carers feeling little-to-no appreciation.
“In my previous roles in the care sector, I often felt limited in the impact I could have,” added Sunny. “Since launching Visiting Angels, we’ve discovered that having autonomy is not just empowering but crucial in bringing meaningful change to the care sector. We're not just changing the face of care; we're revolutionising it. By ensuring a minimum of one-hour visits, compensating our carers for travel time and mileage and offering regular vehicle servicing, we treat our carers with the respect they deserve. We’re hoping to grow to around 35 carers in our first year, providing much-needed jobs and opportunities for our carers to progress and develop without worrying about how they’re going to afford to live. We're committed to making a real difference in the lives of those we care for and those who provide that care.”
For more information, or to see how Visiting Angels could help care for your loved ones, visit www.visiting-angels.co.uk/coventry or call Sunny, Gagan and the team on 02477 298 138.
1 Recruiting & Retaining Caregivers in 2023, HHAeXchange, Jan 2023