The latest edition of OxLEP's podcast series, OxTalks, has today (28 October) been released and this time, features one of the UK’s most pioneering home care organisations.
Hosted by broadcaster Howard Bentham, this OxTalks episode focuses on ‘Building a skilled workforce for our care sector’ and welcomes Amrit Dhaliwal – the Chief Executive of home care provider Walfinch and Kam Gill who is the Managing Director of Walfinch Oxfordshire.
Despite not having a background in care, Amrit founded Walfinch and has since built an organisation that is now delivering high-quality care at home to individuals and families across the UK.
Walfinch focuses on helping its clients to maintain lifestyles and also enhance independence too, helping individuals to live comfortably in their home.
The company now has 300 care staff employed nationwide, including its Oxfordshire franchise that is headed-up by Kam. The Oxfordshire franchise was Walfinch’s first service, set up in 2019, and – over the past few years – the organisation has now grown to establish franchises right across the country.
They have been recognised for their work, including winning the Best for Day Care Expertise category at the 2024 Home Care Awards.
WATCH: 'Building a skilled workforce for our care sector'
Leah Bryan – one of OxLEP’s apprenticeship advisors – is also on-hand during the podcast episode to highlight the success of an OxLEP programme that has made a significant impact on social care roles in Oxfordshire.
Its Social Contract programme – a £1.7 million programme of activity funded by the government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund, via Oxfordshire County Council and led by OxLEP Skills – in-part aims to secure unused apprenticeship levy funding from the county’s larger businesses, channelling it into smaller businesses and supporting them with their own apprenticeship and training provision.
Since May 2022, more than £3.6 million has been pledged through the initiative – far exceeding an original £1.3 million target of pledges set – with over 250 apprenticeships created in Oxfordshire since the programme began, with a high percentage being in the care sector.
This podcast episode comes as Skills for Care’s most-recent ‘state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England’ report said that the number of unfilled roles in care stood at 152,000 in March this year. That means one in 10 social care roles remain vacant, with commentators saying that an extra 440,000 roles in care will likely be needed by 2035 to cope with the likely demand.
Following the recording of the podcast, Amrit and Kam commented: “It was wonderful to be invited as guests on the OxTalks podcast. At Walfinch, we are keen to raise awareness of the current challenges and also some of the solutions within the social care industry and raise the profile of care as a valid career choice.
“We hope our discussion has provided valuable insight and also information about how we operate as a home care provider, always putting our care clients first and aiming to enhance their wellbeing, while enabling them to continue to live within the comfort of their own homes.”
Nigel Tipple – Chief Executive of OxLEP – said: “Since launching our podcast just under two years’ ago, we have been delighted to welcome some fantastic guests and figures from within our business community, providing some wonderful insights into some of our key sectors, shining a light on the opportunities and also the challenges faced.
“It was a real pleasure to welcome Amrit and Kam to OxTalks and find out more about Walfinch, including the successes they have had delivering home care as well as putting their own mark on recruiting great people into the sector, both in Oxfordshire and nationwide too.
“It was fantastic to also underline the major impact one of our key projects – the Social Contract programme – has had, being able to divert substantial apprenticeship levy funds from our larger businesses into smaller businesses, including those operating in the care sector.”
This episode is the fourth episode of the current series of OxTalks, with a further two editions due to be released this autumn.
A fourth series is planned for 2025, with the aim of supporting more businesses in Oxfordshire and beyond, whether they are just starting out, growing or taking on a new business challenge.
OxTalks is recorded at the Oxford studios of Story Ninety-Four.
