2013-02-19 13:33:02 - Michelle Duggan and Natalie Emmerson, co-founders and directors of Primary Care UK Ltd, together with Douglas Carswell, MP for Clacton, welcomed guests to the launch of their new office in Carnarvon Road, Clacton. For Primary Care, an in-home support service, growth has been steady despite the economic downturn, and this move to larger premises is their fourth since starting the company in 2000.

Douglas Carswell, MP for Clacton, who was there to officially declare the office open for business, said: “It is wonderful to see Primary Care doing well by providing a much-needed service for the community. What is good for them is good for Clacton. I am thrilled to be involved in the opening of this exceptional office and to encourage this local success story".

Stephen Beresky, Trustee, Colchester Community Voluntary Services, said: ''Whilst colleagues in the NHS advise and help us to live longer, living without the accompanying quality of life is the challenge we all face as we age.
“As Governments continue to wrestle to find a solution we are grateful that Primary Care, in the caring hands of Michelle and

Natalie, provide such an essential service to help maintain independence, dignity and a quality of life for those who need help'

When Michelle and Natalie started Primary Care they did so from a position of strength; they had spent years working in the care industry looking after older people, people with dementia and people with learning disabilities. They believed there had to be another way to support vulnerable people with dignity and respect while making a positive impact on their lives.

Their vision was to create a dependable community support service, one that was flexible enough to meet every service user’s precise needs. They had the strong conviction this could only be achieved if the service was led by the people who use it; their feedback continues to be invaluable in the development of the robust systems that ensure exceptional standards of excellence, value for money and a service with the personal touch.

Natalie Emmerson, Director of Primary Care, said: “We have always put our service users at the heart of our business and they have helped us shape the content, style and delivery of every single service we provide. This has been fundamental to our growth.

“The opening of much larger premises marks another milestone in our development, and we’re delighted to announce that there will be more exciting introductions in the New Year

There are now 150 part and full-time staff at Primary Care and recruitment and training remains key to the business. Michelle and Natalie’s stringent programme is designed to deselect those who do not have the aptitude or attitude to work in the care industry. This programme is responsible for the culture of respect, dignity and trust, where zero tolerance of all abuse and malpractice is the norm, at Primary Care.

For more information on Primary Care’s services, please call 01255 224680 or visit www.primarycareuk.com.

Ends.

Notes to editor:
1. All the cakes at today’s event were prepared by adults with learning disabilities who attend work-based training at Oakwood Plough Centre.
2. Primary Care opened The Grove Day Centre in Holland-on-Sea in 2008. It is the only local day service for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour, which is open seven days a week.
3. Primary Care received the Staff Training & Development Award 2012 at the Colchester Business Awards this month.
4. Primary Care was shortlisted this year, for the third time in a row, at the Great British Care Awards and won the Care Trainer Award 2012 at the regional finals in October.



Media information:
Sharon Morrison, Sharon Morrison Communications
sharon@sharonmorrison.com, 01255 830216, 07811 439269