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24 Covid-19 Support Work
POST-COVID BUSINESSES – VISITING ANGELS By Pa Modou Faal
Since the declaration by government officially ending the COVID-19 Pandemic, Mojatu Magazine has been going around Nottingham capturing businesses owned and operated by Black people. This is in line with our social responsibility to capture and tell the stories of strong people challenging the odds of Post-COVID. Rohey Safari Rohey Safari is one of many strong Black women who stood their ground. She gave us an account of her background. Being a mum of two beautiful children is my proudest achievement. I am originally from The Gambia, and I moved to the UK when I was 20 years old. I have worked in hospitality as a college student, then moved on to retail, sales, and recruitment where I gained most of my skills. I am now the owner and Director of Visiting Angels, a home care domiciliary agency. What motivated you to venture into the Care industry? I came into this venture due to a very traumatic experience. A sibling of mine was diagnosed with cancer whilst I was pregnant with my son. I was heavily pregnant during his chemo and radiotherapy treatments, and we had to get a carer to help me care for him. The service was not consistent, different carers each time and they would often miss calls. Through this period, I learnt that there is high turnover of carers because they do not feel valued or appreciated and this had a huge negative impact on my brother’s care. My passion is to provide a service which gives assurances to family members and clients and also appreciate, motivate, and take care of my carers as well to avert a recurrence of our experience. Could you please give an account on your breakthrough into the industry? Well, it wasn’t easy. I had a clear vision of what I wanted my company to represent, the high-quality standards, what its value and ethos should be but because I wasn’t from a care background and didn’t want to compromise it, it took me months of research, talking to individuals and franchises. Luckily, I found the franchise that shares my same values: honesty, family, and integrity. We had our own first client before the completion of the CQC registration. It is easy for me to market and promote my company because I believe in the service I provide, which is manifested by my passion and personal experience.
You started operating during the Covid Pandemic… how was it - difficult or moderate? It was both. Difficult because there was a shortage of carers and people were not allowed to mix. Recruitment was challenging but we found ways to manoeuvre that, started doing online interviews and trainings and on the other hand work got busy because people didn’t really want to go into hospitals or homes as they felt safer at their own homes. What are your projections considering recent government declaration of the end of the Covid Pandemic? I think with more people living with complex needs, the end of the pandemic would not slow down the industry. People living longer and wanting better quality of life will always be the driving force to propel the industry. The one-to-one care that the elderly and the vulnerable get from good care providers in my opinion, will continue to make the industry lucrative and appealing. What are your current challenges? Recruitment is our biggest challenge, even though at Visiting Angels we put our carers at the very core of our business. We understand that they are the driving force to achieving success and sustainability. We celebrate, motivate, and reward them. We pay above the minimum wage, pay for drive time and mileage which a lot of companies would not do. We train them to the highest standard so that they are able to deliver high quality standard and quality care. As a Black woman in business, what are your encounters? According to Carers UK, 58% of carers are women but a lot of care companies are owned by men. As a Black woman, owning a domiciliary franchise is interesting, a lot of people automatically assume that I am the manager as opposed to being the owner but then again you become an inspiration to other women and a role model for young kids. Being a leader is being confident even when you least feel it. Self-reflective, self-aware and willingness to learn serve as the bedrock to grow every day, which is my mantra.
