Meet the Team: Catherine Cleary – The Passion Behind SilverBirch Healthcare
This blog marks the beginning of our Meet the Team series, where we introduce the dedicated people behind SilverBirch Healthcare—starting with our Director, Catherine Cleary. With over 15 years of experience, Catherine began her career as a midwife before moving into the care sector, working her way up from carer to area manager. Determined to provide care she would be proud for her own family to receive, she founded SilverBirch Healthcare to focus on person-centred support, consistency, and dignity. Her journey and passion for high-quality care continue to shape the values at the heart of everything we do.
Q&A with Catherine Cleary
What inspired you to start SilverBirch Healthcare?
Wanting to give quality person centred care. Other companies weren’t person centred, and budget was what was focused on. I believe care should be about the person and their needs rather than what works for the company. I myself have had family that need care and often we would come in after the carers and find them in states of disarray or with food that isn’t suitable for them even though there was other food in the house they could eat. Seeing this type of care upset me and other experiences with previous companies I worked for where we would just ensure that we took on packages even if it would mean quality of care would decrease inspired me to open my own company. A company that Puts the clients first and ensures that the care they received I would be happy for my loved ones to get and would help keep the clients independent
Can you tell us about your background in healthcare and how it led you here?
Being a midwife means I have a lot of medical knowledge regarding medication/ symptoms and illnesses. That when I became a carer helped me notice things in my clients quicker than other and I understood what medications treated so I knew what to look out for. As a director I can impart this knowledge on to my employees at times to help them notice things others won’t. This at times has helped clients get an illness diagnosed quicker or helped up set up fail safes in advance for when their ailment advances. Along with this I have 9 years of experience working for other care companies, starting as a carer and working my way up to area manager has given my knowledge of the systems in place and how to best help my clients. It also gives me experience for the likelihood of how some of the clients might progress, and how we can help them, sometimes offering techniques or equipment not yet been introduced.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting the company?
Financing the company, as I had no fall back at that point. Once I left my previous employer I had to make this work to ensure I could pay my own bills and as a single mother it was a daunting task. There was no manager or director I could turn to for extra money for marketing, or pot of money to pay wages (sometimes for myself). At times it was frustrating and stressful but I knew I had the knowledge and the passion to help people, so once I was up and running I would be bale to do it.
How has SilverBirch Healthcare grown since it was founded?
We have now expanded to have three branches. Our staff get the chances to grow into positions, which as we continue to expand we can encourage even more. Now SilverBirch is able to give carers further qualifications and opportunities so they can build a career as we grow, they have the chance for progression. Along with this we can attend more networking events, put ourselves forward for awards and attend events regarding new technologies in care. These all help the company gain more knowledge about the direction care is going in and to get our name out there to help more people have care that Puts them first.
What sets SilverBirch apart from other care providers?
we do person centred care. We ensure that we are transparent about what we can deliver, and we aren’t just saying yes to everything to ensure we win the client over. Our motto is ‘Putting your care first’, this isn’t just a tag line for our marketing team to use. This is something I try to drill into all office staff and carers, that their client is the centre of their work. If they are just here to come in do the work and get paid, this isn’t the right company. You need to have a passion for helping people and the drive to notice things others might not and do something about them to fix the situation. This is why we have so few clients that get dehydrated in the summertime, we ensure they are encouraged to drink, we alter their diets slightly to ensure they are getting more fluids. Along with this we encourage those with dementia or that catch UTI’s easily to look into jelly drops. These are great for hydration and the company are happy for us to get them out there. Things like this show how we care for the clients whole wellbeing not just the one problem and that sets us apart.
About SilverBirch Healthcare
What is the mission and vision of SilverBirch Healthcare?
To ensure all care given to our clients I would be happy for my family to receive. The vision is that our service helps people stay at home in a dignified way for longer. Along with helping people pass away in their own home if that is their wish. I want my clients to be as independent as possible, I have had clients in the past that were bed bound that we worked with doing exercises and using various equipment’s got them walking again. The vision for SilverBirch is that we keep people as independent as possible as long as possible if that is what they want. Even when bed bound we allow them to do as much for themselves as possible. The entire reason I called the company SilverBirch is because the trees live for hundreds of years, which is the aim for our customers to live as long as possible. My oldest client got to 103, so it is working so far.
What services do you provide, and how do they benefit clients?
SilverBirch Healthcare provides care at home that is arranged to suit the person. We go the basics of companionship care for a few hours/ cleanings assistance/ shopping assistance (with the person or without) to around the clock 24/7 care either as live in or different people every day if that is preferred. If we are assisting with personal care this also has different levels of help. Some clients just need assistance into the shower and to turn it on and they can do the rest themselves, some just need encouragement, while others need full assistance. Even when they need full assistance if possible we encourage them to wash as much of themselves as possible. All our clients are encouraged where possible to do it themselves. If we have the time we try to get clients to get involved with the cooking/ cleaning as often people prefer to do this so they have some normality.
How do you ensure that care is truly person-centred?
We have an initial assessment with the person which is when we ask numerous questions about the person, not just regarding why they need care. But about them as a person, what is their life story, what they did for a job, hobbies, and groups they are a part of. Gathering all this information helps us discuss with them what type of care they want. Other care companies almost always insist on having a wash in the morning for example. We are happy to move this around and go with the routine the customer is used to and happy with, especially if this makes them more willing to work with us to keep them safe than against us. The persons wants are of the upmost importance, if someone doesn’t have capacity but are verbal we will always ask them the questions to hear from them. Family members may correct them after in the other room as to not upset them, but we always try to ask the individual first as this helps us get an idea about them. Once they have had a an assessment we have a general idea of which one of our carers they will get along with and trial them before asking for feedback on how they got along with them.
Why do you believe domiciliary care is so important?
I believe that domiciliary care is so important as it gives people the opportunity to pass away on their own terms, in their home with dignity. They aren’t forced to do something they don’t need; they also get more of a say as they are seen as an individual and not just a number in reports for a care home or hospital. Along with this people create a home because they want to live in it for as long as possible, not to leave it in their later life to live elsewhere in a room that often looks like a mix between a hospital and a hotel. Very few people want to end up in a care home and when they do people can often loose their will to get up and interact with others in the home and that is when they start to go downhill. Not with everyone but many that end up their against their own wants can end up declining in health far quicker. I think it is important to help people live how they want on their own terms.
How does SilverBirch support families as well as clients?
To support families we keep them as informed as possible regarding how the care is going (allowing them to have access to daily notes if suitable and wanted), we inform them how the care is likely to progress in the coming months based on experience with similar situations. Though we always remind them that people are different. We assist with talking to different departments and companies that can help in terms of equipment, therapy (physical or otherwise), more support in finance, even with taking control of the shopping and medical issues for a slight fee. This allows families to feel less stressed and actually enjoy the time they spend with their loved ones. Rather than arguing with them about having a shower or eating as we can handle that. Families can go and converse about memories or discuss how they want to try and get them to the next family event. We have had a carer attend a wedding so a grandmother can attend.
Quality & Standards in Care
How do you maintain high standards of care within your team?
By having our field care supervisors consistently go into the field and check up on the carers and the quality of care. At this time I have consistent contact with my team and some clients still to keep an eye on these things. We have consistent reviews in the first six months so the clients can settle in before doing them every six months. Clients are free to contact the office with any concerns/ changes they would like to make. Which as long as it is safe and viable we will do our best to accommodate them. The office staff also do care calls on occasion to get some feedback from customers and check them over to ensure that everything is up to the high standard I set from the begging. As consistent high-quality care can improve someone’s quality of life as well as reduce the risk of hospital admission.
What training do SilverBirch carers receive?
Our carers get full Manual Handling, Medication and Basic Life Support training. With someone from the office going out to introduce new equipment if necessary. They also all have to complete a care certificate online that goes through things such as safeguarding, food hygiene, personal care etc. In the last two years we have given all cares induction training. This gives them some background on SilverBirch along with further information on the standards of care we deliver and what it means to be a carer for SilverBirch. This has helped many people knew to the industry learn the importance behind the job and give them helpful tips that they may not have know otherwise.
How do you match carers with clients to ensure the best care experience?
The free initial assessment that all clients are given (no matter if they are funded) is very thorough. Every client is asked about, hobbies, lifestyle, religion, interests etc. With this information it can help us match them to a carer we have working for us that shares similar views/ interests to be one of their main carers. For instance, we once had a Nigerian client who wanted food from Nigeria cooked for dinner. As we had a carer from Nigeria, we asked her if she would be happy to do this person’s dinner calls on the day she worked and she agreed. Both were very happy with this set up and sometimes the client would get involved in the process if her health was good enough. Along with this on reviews with clients and supervisions with carers we ask them who they get along with and like. Then we ask the carer to ensure they are happy to go into that client as often as we can
What makes a great carer, in your opinion?
A great carer is someone who understands that although you are there to help usually with physical things that emotional needs are also important. That if we are sent into help someone get ready in the morning, and they notice that perhaps the environment isn’t safe or being looked after and their client needs help they mention it to someone. I think a great carer is someone that looks at the whole picture of what affects their client and looks behind the reasoning of any problems.
How does SilverBirch handle emergency situations or changes in care needs?
Emergency situations in SilverBirch are handled as quickly as possible. If needed, we call the emergency services and as soon as we can inform the next of kin with the most up to date information. If necessary, someone from the office will go to the client house to help with the emergency. With regards to change of care needs, when a new client comes on we have a 1 week review, 1 month review, 3 month review, 6 month review. Each review is every 6 months after that, though if the carers or clients/ family members feel a review needs to be done before that we can do so. These reviews cover any changes they feel necessary, anything the cares do well or what they think they could need more help on. The 1 week and 1-month review are to ensure that the clients are settling in well and smooth over any introductory issues. If a client has a change of circumstance/ new equipment or medical setback we will do another assessment to ensure that everything is safe and keeping them as independent as possible.
The Future of SilverBirch Healthcare
What are your goals for the company over the next five years?
My goals for the next five years, it provide good high quality care over the whole area of kent. This will hopefully have started to branch into other areas but I am focused on covering the whole of Kent in that time. It is slower than perhaps other larger companies have expanded but I would rather expand slower with an exceptional quality of care building up my carers to get the knowledge to have careers. Other companies are focused on expanding quickly for the money. I want the quality to not be compromised when expanding so I am willing to take the slower route.
Are there any upcoming developments, such as new services or locations?
We have just expanded our reach into the Gillingham/ Medway area. Along with this we have looked into expanding our live in services to cover a much larger area of the country. These are new changes since the beginning of the year so we are still developing them. At this time we are still awaiting our first client for the Gillingham branch, we are confident they will come soon and that the branch will thrive.
How do you see the future of domiciliary care evolving?
I see the future evolving with a lot more AI technology so they can continue to live in their own homes for longer without the need of actual care. They will also come out with technology so that people can be included in their community rather than stuck inside by themselves. Everyday new technology comes out. Even now there are some technologies that can help people, but due to them not being advertised largely and the cost people aren’t aware of them. Some of these equipment/ technologies we have on out information page. I try to get the word out about these technology as the more in demand they are, the more that are made and sometimes cost goes down.
What advice would you give to someone considering care for themselves or a loved one?
That it will likely be a battle to begin with. It is hard to give up any control to someone else to help you, especially if it is to do with personal care/ dressing. They have been independently looking after themselves for a long time, so to have some help is strange and they are unsure what happens. Having a frank conversation with them about what the care will be can often help. When many people hear they are having care they automatically assume that they will no longer be allowed to do anything and will have no control. In reality carers are only there to help with what they struggle with. Often, we only assist to wash someone’s back and assist with shoes and socks. The level of help depends on what they need, not all control needs to be handed over they should dictate what they need help with. I would advise a very honest conversation to occur during the assessment regarding what the carers will be doing, along with this they need to be honest about what both sides expect and want from each other. Communication is the key to having care that suits the clients needs and helps the family not be concerned or too involved. As if the family it too involved there is no point having care in the first place.
What’s the most rewarding part of running SilverBirch Healthcare?
Knowing we make a difference to peoples lives and can help them stay independent for longer and living their life on their terms. Along with this helping the families that are struggling and perhaps don’t know what is happening to their loved ones that have a dementia diagnosis, when we get to help them and take care of the hard stuff so they can just enjoy the time they have with their loved ones. It is rewarding to know that when we have a client pass away, we have kept them as comfortable as possible in their own homes and help them pass away with dignity.