Member Article

Sunderland home care company expand to fourth office in 2 years

Sunderland-based home care provider, Boltonshaw Homecare, is expanding to new premises following a sustained period of rapid growth, the company’s fourth office move in two years.

Beginning life at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) as a virtual tenant with just two members of staff, the company has now expanded to employinh 50 staff and have just acquired a further 400 sq ft of office space.

The BIC has been especially useful for Boltonshaw, who work region wide, due to its easily accessible location in Wearfield.

Moreover, Boltonshaw are aiming to open a third branch in North Tyneside in 2015.

Managing director, Lesley Shaw, said: “The business has grown much quicker than we anticipated we needed an office space which had an inner office and space large enough to conduct staff training, it was not cost effective for the businesses to regular hire training rooms but the type of office we required at the BIC were already operating at full capacity therefore the BIC built us a custom made one.

“Also I didn’t want to be in a position where office space was adequate now but in eight months down the line we could have potentially grown out of it. This office should safely see us well into the future.

“One of the reasons we stay at the BIC is down to the flexibility, in our four office moves our address and landlines have never changed and that is important to us and very cost effective.

“There have been many lessons learned along the way and being your own boss is not without its challenges; finance, legalities and wage runs were all new to me and here I am now responsible for 50 people!

“Employing people has been a steep learning curve but I truly believe to get commitment from staff I have to be seen giving them the commitment therefore one of my rules is I do not have zero hour contracts, which can present difficulties.

“It is personal professional attention to care that makes us stand out and the best thing about my job is knowing that the care is right for the client and how much it has changed their lives.

“Some of our clients have been with us since day one and that’s a true testament to the work our carers do in the community and that’s enough for me.”

Senior space adviser at the BIC, Donna Surtees, said:“It is truly inspiring to see Boltonshaw Homecare progress and expand whilst remaining a valued tenant of the BIC.

“We try to accommodate all of our businesses requirements and making a bespoke office for Lesley and her team just seemed the right thing to do.”