9^th March 2010

Lifeways Community Care has rewarded its longer-serving staff members for their hard work and dedication, acknowledging the important role its employees have contributed to the success of the organisation since its inception in 1995.

In just 15 years, Lifeways has grown to become the UK’s leading provider of supported living for people with complex needs and now has more than 3,000 staff, some of whom have been with the organisation since its inception.

Director of HR for Lifeways, Lola Kay-Odusanya, said: “As an organisation we value the contribution our staff have made in helping to develop Lifeways into one of the leading providers of support to adults with complex needs in their own homes, and wanted to show our appreciation and reward people who have been with us for more than five years.

“We pride ourselves on providing an enjoyable working environment with excellent opportunities for those wishing to progress. It is more than just a job, it’s a rewarding career where our staff see the people they support achieve their full potential in their own homes and local communities.”

One of our longest serving members of staff is Exeter-based Area Manager Carol Milverton, who has worked for Lifeways since 1996. She said: “Lifeways has given me the opportunity to progress up the career ladder by providing me with excellent training and development opportunities along the way. At the same time, they have been flexible whilst I brought up my young family.”

Lifeways offers care and support to people with complex needs, including individuals with learning disabilities, autism, challenging behaviour, mental health issues and acquired brain injuries, in their own home or a community setting.

Lifeways Chief Executive Paul Marriner added: “It has been an exciting year of growth for Lifeways which now supports over 1,250 individuals nationwide. We are extremely proud to have over 600 staff who have worked for Lifeways longer than five years and we wanted to show our appreciation for passing this milestone.

“We have recently acquired Clover Care, based in Lancashire, as well as Inverness-based Home Support Services, and welcome their staff teams to the organisation. Further developments are planned during 2010 and it is therefore vital we continue to attract high calibre and talented staff who wish to join our talented and dedicated staff teams.”

Lola Kay-Odusanya added: “We are always keen to hear from anyone who feels that they would like to support individuals achieve their full potential to live active lives within their communities. Anyone interested should visit our new website, www.lifeways.co.uk, where they will find a full list of all our vacancies.”