In England, 1.5 million people work in social care in 1.2 million full time equivalent roles. To cope with demand, an extra 440,000 roles will be needed by 2035. So, how will the care sector cope now and in the future? How can staff retention be improved, and new people upskilled?

 

In this episode of OxTalks, powered by the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), host Howard Bentham is joined by Amrit Dhaliwal, Chief Executive of Walfinch, and Kam Gill, Managing Director at Walfinch Oxfordshire.

 

Walfinch is a thriving and successful company providing bespoke, high-quality care at home to individuals and families across the UK. They run a franchise model that has won national accolades being named Best for Day Care Expertise at the recent Home Care Awards.

 

On a mission to redefine home care and franchising for the sector, Amrit started Walfinch in 2019. Building the business up from scratch, Walfinch now has over 40 locations spanning across the nation. His sister Kam later joined the business and heads up the Oxfordshire division.

 

Amrit and Kam share their thoughts on the key challenges facing the care sector and solutions to these – such as retaining talent through building a skilled and trusted workforce and encouraging retention by adapting to the needs and expertise of the team.

 

They are joined by OxLEP’s Apprenticeship Advisor, Leah Bryan, who discusses the valuable work that OxLEP does to redistribute funds from large apprenticeship levy paying businesses in the county to smaller businesses with less resources available, to help cover training costs.

 

OxTalks is recorded at the Oxford Podcast Studio by Story Ninety-Four.

 

Find out what support is available to your business via OxLEP Business  

 
Learn more about Walfinch

Click here to watch a video of this episode.

 

OxLEP:  
  
 As the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), it is our role to champion Oxfordshire’s economic potential, acting as a catalyst and convener to drive a dynamic, sustainable and growing economy.  

  

Our vision is for Oxfordshire to be a vibrant and inclusive world-leading economy – driven by innovation, enterprise, collaboration and research excellence.  

  

Our work has made a significant impact, helping to create favourable conditions for economic growth in Oxfordshire. We provide support for hundreds of businesses and communities in the county, supporting their desire to grow and attract the best talent locally, nationally and internationally.

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