11/02/2026
Thank you for your kind words, Josh. It was a pleasure having you at Caremark Cannock Chase & South Staffordshire ๐งฟ๐ท
In January I was invited to visit Caremark Cannock Chase & South Staffordshire by the franchise owner Jas Chauhan, an inspiring woman who saw the difference that compassionate, high quality social care can make to people's lives and decided to completely change her career to be part of it ๐คฒ๐ป๐ They have just celebrated their ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ฒ, hence the balloons ๐๐ Obviously I'm a bit older than 9... even 29 has sadly been and gone ๐
Jas and I had a very frank discussion about the pressures social care providers are facing. These have been mounting for many years but the increase in National Insurance contributions have hit businesses like Jas's which have high payroll costs particularly hard ๐ท Many other employers in the healthcare world, like NHS trusts, have been exempted from the increase but GPs, social care providers and hospices haven't, which has been something I have raised consistently with the Treasury ๐ข As Jas explained, when social care isn't there for people, it costs the NHS a lot more in the long run.
Jas prides herself, along with other Caremark businesses, on paying an above-average wage for the sector, paying staff for travel time and various decent employment practices that we'd all like to see ๐ฅ This means that in return they can expect the quality care and dedication that the families and individuals they work with need ๐ฉ๐ฝโโ๏ธ
We chatted about the changes the Government is planning to make to indefinite leave to remain and the impact that could have on social care workers from overseas wanting to stay in the UK ๐ฌ๐ง We've also seen very exploitative practices from some employers in the sector who promise people lots of work that doesn't actually materialise, so it's a balance that has to be struck โ๏ธ
I'm looking forward to continuing to speak with Jas about social care and pushing for common sense changes at Government level that will enable her to carry on providing care to people across our towns and villages ๐๐ป