Carer sets up own company after Covid care home experience

Vikki O'Brien started Saxbridge Care following her experiences during Covid-19.

"Myself and the other director Rebbeca Mcardell worked locally in a residential home," she said.

"We moved in when Covid got bad."

It was these experiences of working in a home that got Mrs O'Brien thinking about the impact of the pandemic on people that she was helping to look after.

"We saw how families could not visit for themselves for a year," she said.

"We thought how unfair it was that families are being kept apart."

During the pandemic, her thoughts also started to turn to those outside care homes.

"We started talking about what was happening to people in their own homes," she said.

"So I thought about setting this business up."

Saxbridge Care was established to ensure that those wanting to stay outside of care homes could still get help.

The service is not a residential home, instead carers go from home to home to help people with daily tasks.

"It's helping people to remain in their own home, often still with spouses." said Mrs O'Brien.

"Obviously we don't want to leave our home."

The carers can help with a number of different tasks give personal care, pick up medication, go shopping and also provide a calling service to those in need of help.

Saxbridge Care will be covering from Woodbridge up to Saxmundham and the surrounding areas.

Mrs O' Brien said that they had found that some people were struggling to find ongoing care for their relatives and that existing services didn't cover some of the more rural areas of the district.

"In Yoxford, they said they were not going to have care from Saturday," she said.

"They don't go as far as that."

Saxbridge Care has only been taking business for a week but already, Mrs O'Brien said that the new service has been well received.

"The response has been absolutely huge," she said.

"We have been open a week and we have 85 hours of care booked in."