Guardian Angel Carers Worthing Highly Commended at the Home Care Awards 2025

The Worthing based homecare business, which was established in 2019, was ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Recruitment, Retention and Staff Motivation’ category.

With a carer retention rate of 60% - considerably higher than the national average of 50% - Branch Manager Kayleigh Gilbert always felt that they stood a good chance in this category. “This award recognises and rewards our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care and supporting the wellbeing of our colleagues and clients in the comfort of their own homes.”

“We were very honoured and proud just to be named as finalists, so to then learn that we have been ‘Highly Commended’ is a really good reward for our dedicated CareAngels and support staff.”

Laura Harvey-Smith, who is the Franchise Director at the Guardian Care Angels head office, overseeing 17 franchises countrywide, was especially proud of the Worthing winners. “The Guardian Angel Carers values are compassion, professionalism, friendliness, reliability, quality and innovation,” says Laura. “Kayleigh and her team have really plugged into those values and that has paid off with their successes in carer retention. That has knock-on effects for their whole business – constant recruitment and extra training is expensive and so diverts resources from other areas of the business. And, of course, our clients really, really appreciate continuity of care, so it is important for them just as much as it is for the business.”

Retention of staff – one of the biggest challenges in the care industry

Each of the three branches – Worthing, Chichester and Fareham – was shortlisted for an award. And so, the whole Guardian Angel Carers team travelled up to Birmingham for the awards ceremony in March 2025.

But ‘recruitment and retention’ of carers is one of the biggest challenges facing the care industry right now. “At Guardian Angel Carers Worthing we address this by fostering a culture of support from the very first step of our CareAngels’ journey and a seamless onboarding experience. We integrate new carers into our Guardian Angel family even before they start, and then we support them with ongoing training, continuous professional development and career progression,” says Kayleigh.

‘Cell team leaders’ play a vital role in supporting CareAngels acting as mentors, confidants and a consistent point of contact, enabling concerns and suggestions to be freely voiced, and fostering a collaborative environment where everyone has a voice.

Guardian Angel Carers has a special app – ‘Connecteam’ – which is used to coordinate activities, messaging and connections. They also have an innovative ‘Carers Snug’ creating opportunities for less formal connections.

“We understand the importance of a supportive work environment for job satisfaction, performance and progression,” says Kayleigh.

“Home care is a rapidly growing industry,” says Kayleigh. “We know that 97% of people in need of care would rather stay at home than enter residential care. And so, it’s absolutely vital that we are as professional and effective as possible. That starts with looking after our own staff, and so I’m thrilled for everyone involved in the business that our success in keeping our staff has been recognised.”

“This award will motivate us all to continue striving to be the very best homecare providers – the achievement belongs to the whole team, and we look forward to building on that success.”