Omar Taylor on quality

Omar Taylor, Regional Director

How long have you worked in health and social care?

I've worked in the sector for over ten years and have worked with people with learning disabilities, and in mental health, as well as in older people’s care.

How long have you worked for Care UK and what does your role entail?

I have worked for Care UK since 2016. I started as a home manager before progressing to relief manager, operations support manager, and, most recently, regional director.

 Day-to-day, I line manage five home managers, supporting them to run four care homes in the South Midlands in Stroud, Cheltenham, Newbury and Oxfordshire. I’m there to support the home managers and their teams to provide residents with care and compassion in line with Care UK’s vision and values, and ensure that the people we support are empowered to live fulfilling lives. I am also responsible for ensuring that each home is operating safely and successfully.

 My role involves a lot more than that, and every day is different. I’ll have contact with many different stakeholders, from residents and relatives to colleagues and community healthcare professionals. I also spend a lot of time liaising with our support teams to discuss each home.

What do you think are the most important aspects of the service that we provide to the people we care for?

I think that the resident’s safety and wellbeing are paramount in all that we do in our homes. I believe that, through care and compassion, we can provide outstanding care to each resident and enable them to live a fulfilling life. I believe that each resident should be involved in all aspects of their care and should be supported to make choices about their care and how they spend their day. It’s also vital to involve residents’ relatives and friends in all that we do so that we can create a community where everyone’s focused on making each resident’s life as good as it can be.

What does high quality care mean to you?

High quality care starts from the basics: care, kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. It means enabling and supporting each person to make choices in the way that’s right for them. It also means treating residents with respect and understanding, and supporting family members to be involved in their loved one’s care.

What do you feel are the main drivers that help to improve care?

Positive, passionate and well-trained colleagues are what great care is all about, which is why we focus on supporting our people with training, mentoring and supervision. Care UK colleagues are supported to fulfil their potential.

 I think training is key to improving care. All colleagues should have the right type and level of training and it should be relevant to the residents that they’re supporting. When colleagues are confident in their skills, and they feel supported and encouraged to do their best work, they will flourish and residents will flourish as a result.

What part of the health and social care experience do you think is most important?

Seeing all aspects of a resident is vital for promoting their health and wellbeing – as is tailoring their experience to their needs and preferences. Enabling a resident to live a meaningful and fulfilling life is vital, whatever that may look like for them. Involving their family and friends is key too – as is ensuring they’re receiving the right nutrition and hydration to promote their health and wellbeing.