Katie Doyle, Managing Director, Cross Care Ltd
As a Teaching Assistant from Manchester, I struggled to secure work as a teaching assistant after I relocated to Shropshire. I decided to give care a chance and applied for a role as a carer in the community. I felt so overwhelmed at my first care call but I knew I had to give it a chance and so I continued to show up.
For four years, I worked for different service providers, but none of them gave me the chance to grow and I soon felt very undervalued and overworked. Despite my dream of owning a domiciliary care company, I lacked self-esteem and didn’t believe I could ever do it.
Things changed though in 2018, while working for a local care provider, I met Ruth, who was my manager at the time. We both felt undervalued, saw poor care, and we’re treated badly, so we joined forces and decided to create our own care company.
Cross Care was born in June 2019, whilst brainstorming over a coffee in Costa. Ruth’s late father John, was a vicar and had unfortunately received poor care. He was the inspiration behind “Cross, in” Cross Care”. We knew we wanted to make him proud!
I quickly registered the business with Companies House and got to work on registering Cross Care with the Care Quality Commission, (CQC). I wanted to deliver care “the right way” and create a workforce that felt valued and had the opportunity to grow in the world of social care.
In November 2019, having flown through our CQC interview, Cross Care became a registered care provider and we began operating. Despite the pandemic hitting and lockdown occurring after signing for our first office in March 2020, I didn’t let this defeat me and continued to grow Cross Care while delivering care myself alongside my staff. In September 2020, Cross Care registered with CIW, (Care Inspectorate Wales). I wanted to lead by example and prove that if I could do it, anyone could.
Fast forward to 2023 and Cross Care has continued to go from strength to strength, retaining staff who have been with the company from the beginning.
I ensure that my staff are recognized for their hard work through “Employee of the Month,” drop-ins, supervisions, and appraisals and many of my staff have been promoted. I am also passionate about raising awareness around mental health having faced difficulties myself during my late teens and so I recently held an open day at the office to promote the importance of talking about mental health.
Cross Care aims to maintain a small, person centered service that prides itself on continuity and good quality care. With support and recognition, I have been able to retain staff and create a company that values its employees and the people we care for.
My journey in the world of care began with uncertainty and doubt, but my determination and passion led me to create Cross Care, a company that provides quality care while valuing its workforce.
