76 Acquisition International - Influential Businesswoman Awards 2023 May23294 Most Dedicated Director of Care 2023 (North West England): Michelle Richardson Established in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Michelle and Alastair Richardson, Red Rose Care is a care services company based in Lancashire. The company’s friendly, highly trained, and passionate carers provide exceptional home care, respite, and companionship to vulnerable adults. Here, we speak to Michelle Richardson about her career in the health and social care industry. n 2013, Michelle and her husband noticed a need in their community for high-quality care services dedicated to helping vulnerable adults stay at home safely for as long as they can. To fulfil this need, the duo invested to become a part of the Clarriots Care franchise. Five years later, the company decided to go independent, becoming what is now known as Red Rose Care. Red Rose Care visits vulnerable adults in their homes, providing high-quality, person-centred care services to meet their needs and preferences, whilst supporting their families and loved ones. The company assists a variety of clients, including those with dementia, mental health issues, mobility issues, Parkinson’s disease, as well as visual and hearing impairments. Because of this, clients’ needs tend to vary. Some need support to carry out tasks like going shopping or doing laundry, whereas some have more complex needs, requiring two carers at each visit. When Red Rose Care was initially established, Michelle took on multiple roles, working as business owner, Director, and Registered Manager. Therefore, she had a broad scope of responsibilities, including both the business and care sides of the company. In 2017, Michelle and Alastair’s son, James, joined Red Rose Care as Business Development Manager. Eventually, he took the reins from Alastair to become Managing Director. Since 2022, Michelle has had a more specific role: Director of Care. She continues to work in all aspects of the business but maintains a clear focus on the care side, including compliance with standards, training care managers, and monitoring the service provided by the company. Michelle has dedicated almost 35 years of her career to health and social care services, working as a nurse, midwife, health visitor, and clinical teacher. She believes these experiences have provided her with a broad scope of skills, knowledge, and expertise, which have helped her in setting up Red Rose Care. Even whilst owning her own business, she has continued to work part time in the NHS to keep her clinical nursing skills and registration up to date and valid. In all health and social care sectors, the workforce has always been predominantly female. However, Michelle has noticed a shift towards a more male workforce, especially in the higher management posts. The Red Rose Care workforce initially consisted of only female workers, but now it has a mix of men, women, and people from all backgrounds. “I feel there is ample opportunities for all, but it needs to be the right staff for the right job,” she comments. “There has to be a genuine desire to I work in the social care sector, to really care and be passionate about the role and your work.” As a woman in a leadership position, Michelle has faced some challenges over the years. “I have found when going to meetings with Alastair or James for example, other people at the meetings will just talk to them and seem to ignore me,” she explains. “I will often just politely introduce myself and role at a convenient time and engage in the conversation.” Based on her decade of experience, Michelle offers some advice to emerging female business owners: “Work hard, know your business. Be involved in what goes on, be visible to staff, and show you are human and care about what the business is doing. Invest in your staff and reward them.” As a result of her exceptional leadership of Red Rose Care, Michelle Richardson has been awarded Most Dedicated Director of Care, North West England, in the Influential Businesswoman Awards 2023. In the coming years, Michelle strives to continue to offer high quality home care services for vulnerable adults, supporting their families and loved ones when times are tough. Due to continuous demand for its services, Red Rose Care has just invested in a new branch in Chorley. This will bridge the gap for the two offices, cater to clients in more geographical locations, and provide more jobs for potential new staff. The company would like to expand further in the near future, aiming to become the best high-quality service in Lancashire. Contact: Michelle Richardson Company: Red Rose Care Web Address: redrose-care.co.uk
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