Our focus is on quality. The quality of our care and the quality of our team. Quality is what maters to our clients, their carers and families, and it is what matters to us.

1. We want to make a difference for people.

2. We want people to feel supported to stay in their own homes.

3. We want to empower people and give them the skills and confidence to live their lives to the full.

4. We want people to feel we have listened to what matters to them and tailor what we do based on that.

5. We want to get this right and be amongst the best at what we do.

Are services safe?

People told us care workers turned up punctually and stayed for the scheduled amount of time. One person said “Their time keeping is impeccable and that was one of my stipulations, never been let down.”

Are services effective?

Every staff member we spoke with was positive about the service, their colleagues and the manager. All told us they enjoyed their work and said the manager was extremely supportive and set a good example for them to follow. Staff had regular supervisions and annual appraisals which we saw evidence of.

People and relatives said about staff skills, “They’ve got common sense, life skills, it means a lot”, and “They know what they’re doing. They’re capable.” All people we spoke with directly felt the care workers were competent and met their needs.

One relative told us, “Even the district nurses say my mum’s improved and that we’re lucky to have the carers she’s got now.”

Is the service caring?

Everyone was complimentary about the staff. They told us, “The best carers we’ve ever had, they’re all lovely” and “The head of proud to care and carers love and care for my mum as they would their own”.

There were several references from people about care workers going “above and beyond” their role. Comments included, “We think they’re excellent, my mum says she’s very lucky to have them”, “I think they go the extra mile and that’s what I wanted”, “They’ve gone that extra step over and above a care provider” and “They can’t do enough for you.” People and relatives gave examples of how they felt care workers cared and had a genuine interest in people they supported. One relative told us how care workers took time to sit and have reminiscent chats with their family member which they really enjoyed.

It was clear from speaking with people that there was genuine warmth and good feeling towards their care workers.

Is the service responsive?

We also spoke with the social worker who had been involved. They told us how they had put forward a case for the person to remain with Proud To Care because of the significant improvements to their wellbeing which was confirmed by the person’s doctor. We saw a testimonial from the person which included the statement, “The care is absolutely magnificent and has saved my life, I feel you are battling for me. I am getting more capable of doing little things for myself and my quality of life is 100% better since you came.”

Is the service well-led?

People referred to the values and ethos of the service and said it was evident from the manager’s approach that the service was dedicated to providing quality. One person described how they had researched and interviewed a number of agencies prior to choosing Proud to Care. They said they liked the service’s “values and honesty” which had influenced their decision to use the service.

One care worker said they felt it was an “Absolute privilege to work with a company that has a philosophy like this.” They said the manager really valued the work that staff did and genuinely cared. Another care worker explained that, “If you took [the manager] out and put someone else in, it wouldn’t work.”

Staff said the whole team was supportive and they would often go to colleagues for advice or reassurance which showed the service had an open culture.

People receiving support from Proud To Care and their relatives told us that they were very happy with the agency. Their comments included:

• The care is magnificent, it has saved my life. My quality of life is 100% better.
• It is excellent. I chose them because of their ethics and values and my hopes have been realised
• I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this agency. They have improved my life
• They are wonderful. I have a regular team of carers who are reliable and treat me with kindness and respect
• I have a small team of carers that know me very well. I have been introduced to them all by Gary and never have a stranger at my door
• I have never had a missed visit and the carers are always on time. They take time to chat and listen. It's not cold and clinical. They take time to find out how you are. The word 'caring' really applies to them
• They help me and recognise I want to keep as much independence as I can. They see the person, not just their needs. They have changed my life
• They have given my relative a routine and reminisce and chat with them. They have given me my life back and peace of mind. I can sleep at night. Please thank them for me
• I know I haven't got long to live. They have brought peace into my life. They treat me as someone with a brain who has rights

To view testimonials from some of our clients and families please click on the links below:

Testimonial 1

Testimonial 2

Testimonial 3

Testimonial 4

Testimonial 6

Testimonial 5 ---- Hi Gary,

I am writing regarding the care Proud to Care gave my father, Mr K from September 2015 - February 2016 when he passed away.

Both myself and family were very happy with the care that my father received as was he.  Gary and Proud to Care stepped in speedily when Mr K and his family had an NHS care package withdrawn without notice. They literally saved us.

From the outset I was impressed how Gary and his team thoroughly assessed Mr K's needs and showed excellent awareness of my father's cultural needs. The care plan and written records were organised and of a high standard (which I certainly cannot say of NHS records).

The respect, time and quality of care my father received was excellent. The carers really did care about Mr K and respected him.  Of note, was their proactive desire to facilitate Mr K's independence in his care rather than just 'doing care' for him. They made it possible for us to take Mr K to hydrotherapy and carried out care for him there - we just could not have done this without them.  The team were open to training re posturing in chairs/moving and handling and worked closely with the physiotherapists at times. They saw my father as a whole person. The carers were brilliant at engaging with my family who lived with my father too.

Over the course of this time there were a couple of minor issues that were discussed and resolved professionally and speedily.

When Mr K's care changed from NHS carers (who were good but too many of them) to Proud to Care I observed a noticeable change in him. He was more relaxed and more confident and clearly trusted the carers. Gary ensured the team was as small as possible for such a large package with I think 5 male carers on his team which made a huge difference to Dad. The carers were proactive in notifying us of any issues re catheters and skin integrity but at the same time not calling for medical help unnecessarily which often happens. Gary was proactive in helping get best outcomes for Mr K's continence issues, meeting with incontinence nurses. This was very person centred care indeed.

As a social worker of 20 years (7 years in adult care, 12 years in emergency duty teams) I have extensive professional experience of working with care agencies and service users and dealing with poor provision and complaints. I was absolutely dreading having a care agency come in thinking I'd have to micromanage them.  I can honestly say that I never felt that at all with Proud to Care. Having them meant that I and all the family could relax and let them do the work. I'm sure they are not perfect and there may be areas for improvement but they are definitely one of the best agencies I have ever come across, are doing a lot of things right and would happily recommend them. I would use them again without hesitation.

Testament to this is when my father (an extremely proud and independent man) was in the hospital in his last few days of life and asked for 'my own carers' meaning Gary and his team.

I would also like to add that Gary's professionalism and person centred care extended to these last few days, when my father was no longer having a care package,  giving our family invaluable advice and emotional support.  I felt this whole experience with Proud to Care  wasn't just about money and profit - it was about excellent quality of care and making a valuable difference to someone's life that had been shattered. Which is exactly what they did.

Many thanks

D K
Daughter of Late Mr K

Testimonial 6 - Hi Gary

My busy, active and very happy life was very suddenly disrupted by a stroke at the age of 50 in 2016.

I first came into contact with Proud to Care several weeks after leaving hospital when I was coming to the end of my NHS allocated care provision and my partner was preparing to return to work part-time.

The clock was ticking and I felt extremely vulnerable as I worked my way through a list of numbers given to me by social services. Many of them were defunct or irrelevant (for example not offering services in my part of Sheffield). Each call required me to explain the depth of my helplessness as, at the time, I could barely transfer between my wheelchair and the “hospital bed at home in the living room” and was having to use a Red Cross commode and strip wash every day in my kitchen sink. Living in a house at the top of a very steep hill in a “elevated position”I was also more or less housebound and going out of my mind with boredom.

Luckily one of the calls I made led me to being provided with Gary’s mobile phone number with the suggestion that I tried him because he had recently recruited new staff. No sooner had I made the call than Gary arranged to come over and meet me. This wasn’t my first meeting with a care provider but I was very impressed by the way Gary asked relevant questions and, in particular, he was the first person to ask seriously after my partner who had unwittingly ended up becoming my carer.

It’s understandable that healthcare professionals and social workers are not allowed to recommend particular care providers but the whole process of organising my own care provision was extremely painful and would have been much better had I been able to research local care providers much in the way you would choose other services with access to no-holds-barred reviews by other users. (likre Tripadviser for choosing a holiday for example).

Having been regularly left awaiting up to 2 hours for a morning wash by my NHS carers it was revolutionary to hear that Proud to Care would actually come at a specific time and this has proved to be the case.

Also Gary promised that I would not see stranger after stranger arriving to help me but would be personally introduced to any new carer should it be necessary to involve a new person in the team.Again this felt very respectful and put me at ease. 

One year on I am now ready to manage by myself and gradually recovering my independence. I am miles from being fully recovered but I have come a long way and my confidence has been boosted by the caring attention I have received from the lovely team that were allocated to help me. At times this year has been extremely difficult as I have struggled to come to terms with long-term disability, negotiate a phased return to work and a future that looks very different from the one I had in mind before my illness. On tough days I have been greeted with kindness, good humour, care, respect and concern by carers I have come to really appreciate. It is obvious that they are just as committed to the values captured by the name “Proud To Care” as Gary and it is obvious they respect him greatly.

My carers have got to know me, shared a silly sense of humour, and celebrated all the little hard won achievements that go into recovering from stroke. I have felt very well understood and supported and since I am not a health professional I have no hesitation in saying that I would recommend anyone needing such a service to contact Proud To Care.