A care boss has launched a campaign to address the local shortage of care workers.

Steve Willoughby, who owns and runs the Brentwood, Billericay and Upminster office of at home care provider, Home Instead Senior Care, came up with the ‘You Can Care’ campaign.

He is hoping to raise awareness, banish pre-conceived ideas about what caring is all about, as well as informing people about just how rewarding working in care can be.

Steve said: “We want to show people the human stories, the fantastic relationships and the real side of caring, as it should be. Being a caregiver can be a wonderfully rewarding career for compassionate people and the new ‘You Can Care’ campaign will champion all the positive aspects of care.

“We have many amazing caregivers delivering care to the elderly in our community. Although they are all unique individuals they possess common traits – patience, kindness empathy, attentiveness, dependability and integrity.”

According to Skills for Care, the strategic body for workforce development in adult social care in England, there are approximately 90,000 vacancies in the social care sector at any given time.

Our ageing population has created a huge requirement for care services and Steve reports that the national picture is reflected here in the local area.

Home Instead, who specialise in care for older people in their own homes, is hoping to fill 40 jobs in 2018 in order to keep pace with demand.

The hashtag #youcancare has been created to support the campaign.

As well as sharing positive stories, the company will also be offering tips, advice and support for the hundreds of people caring for family members in the local area.

For more information about Home Instead, call 01277 822 858 or visit https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/brentwood-billericay-and-upminster.

You can also find information on the campaign if you search #youcancare on Facebook and Twitter.