A former nursery nurse with two decades of care experience has set out on a mission to reinvent the care sector in her local community. Driven by a desire to right the bad practices she has seen first-hand in care, Rachel Onigbanjo has launched Visiting Angels, the in-home care company dedicated to providing dignified, respectable in-home care. Along with Registered Care Manager Sharn Rafis, Rachel is committed to giving back to the community that means so much to her.
Rachel’s care journey started in 2003 when she began working in a nursery. And after a successful yet personally unfulfilling tenure in the education industry, she transitioned into adult care where she ultimately found herself teaching health and social care to more junior carers. Throughout her time working in care homes and for various care companies, she continually saw bad practices, rushed care visits and appalling treatment of carers, so she decided it was time to take matters into her own hands and launch a care company driven by doing things differently.
“I’ve always been so passionate about care, but I’ve seen so many companies get it so far wrong,” said Rachel. “The thing which shocked me the most was just how badly carers are treated industry wide. It sounds ridiculously simple, but carers who feel cared for will provide the best care for their clients. That’s why I’m so determined to invest in our staff, to provide them with proper training, pay them way above industry average wages, and ensuring all of their needs are met. Even things like minimum one-hour client visits go a long way to helping carers feel happy with the job they have been able to do. These are things which I really feel should be standard across the industry, but the reality is far from that – that’s why I’m taking matters into my own hands with Visiting Angels.”
The UK’s care system is struggling, and too often failing, to meet the needs of the growing elderly population. With society’s needs becoming increasingly complex, care providers are now faced with the challenging task of ensuring carers are continually upskilled while providing financial and personal recognition. With caregiver turnover rising to 77% in 2023 for reasons such as low pay, poor working conditions or too much responsibility, Visiting Angels’ revitalised approach of caring for carers before anyone else is addressing the need to establish a strong, committed and highly skilled workforce. Through both financial rewards and opportunities for career development, Rachel, Stephanie and the Visiting Angels team are determined to reform the care industry’s conditions, which often leave carers feeling little to no appreciation.
“For me, launching this business has never been about money,” added Rachel. “It would be lovely to earn enough so that I can continue to give back financially to our community by opening a charity organisation linked to Visiting Angels, but initially I just want to build a strong, reliable base to bring our high-quality care to the people of Bedfordshire. I just want to wake up and do good every day, so I really can’t wait to get out there and start meeting our wonderful clients!”
With offices based in Bedford, Visiting Angels serves Raunds, Rusden, Kingbolton and the surrounding areas.
