The Future of Homecare

Oonagh Smyth

CEO, Skills for Care

Oonagh Smyth is Chief Executive Officer of Skills for Care, which is the strategic workforce planning and development body for adult social care in England.

Oonagh started off in law, with a Masters in Human Rights Law and moved into equality law, governance and strategy. She has extensive experience working with organisations across the social care sector, she worked in Mencap for 8 years as the Executive Director of Strategy and Influence, and led Mencap for a short period before coming to Skills for Care in 2020.

Oonagh is on a number of advisory groups including Think Local Act Personal and Coventry University’s Vice Chancellor Health Advisory Board. She is also a former Co-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance and an accredited executive coach. 

Sharon Lowrie

Chief Executive, BeCaring

Sharon has been the Chief Executive for over three years, and oversaw the company’s transformation from CASA, a struggling organisation to Be Caring, a financially prudent employee-owned social enterprise.

Under her leadership Be Caring has delivered a surplus for the second year running, despite the COVID pandemic, and has been able to reward and incentivise colleagues in recognition of the hard work.

Sharon was appointed in 2018 from Locala, where she had worked as their Director of Finance and Business Development since 2015.

Deborah Sturdy CBE

Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, DHSC

No bio provided

Gary Fee

CEO, City & County Healthcare

No bio provided

Jess Clayton

GLAA Victim Navigator, Justice & Care

Jess is one of the Victim Navigators working for the modern slavery charity, Justice & Care. The Victim Navigator programme is a unique one as the role is embedded within law enforcement. Jess’s role is embedded within the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). Supporting victims of labour exploitation within care homes is unfortunately very common for Jess and team in recent years. As well as working with victims directly, Justice & Care are working with partners to try influence positive systemic change.

Sara Booth

Founder & Registered Manager , Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd

As the founder and Registered Manager of Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd (2007), Sara has spent over 16 years building a successful and award-winning business that provides essential care and support to adults in Wakefield and Kirklees. Her team of trained community care professionals are committed to delivering high quality care within the local community.

Sara's drive to improve social care extends beyond her company, as she founded and chairs the Wakefield Registered Managers Network, which fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing among social care professionals.

Sara is an active participant in the Peoples Plan Alliance, a group that seeks to advance integrated between health and care services.

Sara is dedicated to raising the profile of social care and showcasing the valuable contributions made by care professionals and recently won the GB Registered Managers Award 2023.

Roger Booker

Chief Executive, Care Sante Limited

Working with private investors, Vitry Enfants, Care Sante was launched in February 2021 with a plan to establish a base to build a national homecare business. 

Four core businesses were acquired during 2021, establishing a four-branch base in Derbyshire, Kent, Hertfordshire and London. During the two years since, the business has grown via contract wins and organically to a 15-location business turning over £15m/annum, with a longer-term plan to develop into a £50m organisation.

Kate Garraway

TV & Radio Presenter,

Kate Garraway is a TV and radio presenter and journalist.

In 2021 her documentary Finding Derek received ITV’s highest ratings for a documentary in 16 years.

Kate got her start on TV in 1994, joining the South edition of ITV News Central as a production journalist, reporter and news presenter. Two years later, she became co-presenter of the South East edition of ITV News Meridian, and in 1998 she joined Sunrise on Sky News.

Kate joined GMTV in September 2000, co-presenting GMTV Today with fellow Smooth star Andrew Castle. She went on to share presenting duties with Fiona Phillips and Emma Crosby.

In 2009, she co-hosted GMTV with Ben Shephard and then became entertainment editor of Daybreak shortly after. In December 2011 she took over from Christine Bleakley as the main presenter.

Kate currently presents Good Morning Britain alongside Ben Shepherd and Susanna Reid, and since 2021 she has been been the presenter of Kate Garraway’s Life Stories.

Kate has also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.

Muhammad Damji

Managing Director, Caring Crew

No bio provided

Tim Wilson

Tim Wilson joined the domiciliary care sector in 2009, taking his franchise independent in 2015. As the Managing Director of Assist Care Group, he has successfully overseen the growth and expansion of the company across Surrey and West Sussex, with an ethos centred on quality and customer satisfaction and partnership working with the Local Authority.

Before joining the healthcare sector, Tim accrued invaluable experience working in the technology sector, including roles at two of the world's top five tech firms, where he leveraged his expertise as a technology consultant. Tim is committed to integrating technology into Social Care to enhance operational efficiency and transparency.

He is also actively engaged in the governance and oversight of Social Care operations on a broader scale. Tim served as a Board Director for the West Sussex Care Association (WPSiC) for eight years and is currently a Surrey Care Association board member. His input into these boards has been instrumental in steering policy and setting best practices within the industry.

Max Wurr

Interim Director of Policy, Practice & Innovation, Homecare Association

Starting his social care career as a care worker, Max spent twenty-seven years in the independent care sector, most recently as Director of Policy and Communications for City and County Healthcare Group, the UK's largest provider of state-funded home care. With a wide range of experience in all aspects of care delivery, from regulatory compliance through employment relations and PR and media, alongside a degree in law, Max has also contributed to important conversations and policy developments within the sector, including with NICE and DHSC/NHS England. He spent nine years on the Board of the UKHCA (now the Homecare Association), most recently as Vice-Chair.

Diana Stephenson

Managing Director , Calvin Marketing

Diana founded Calvin Marketing, a full service marketing agency over 25 years ago. The business employs a team of experts in advertising, PR, social media and crisis management.

Diana has a wealth of experience in the care sector and is proud of her ongoing relationship with Home Instead. She also worked on the campaign to make VAT zero-rated for home care and with the Homecare Association and The Care Workers’ Charity on the inaugural Celebrating Homecare Day in 2021.

Neil Eastwood

Founder & CEO, Care Friends

Neil Eastwood is an international speaker on care worker recruitment and retention within Adult Social Care and author of the book ‘Saving Social Care - How to find more of the best frontline care employees and keep the ones you have’, which is now in its second edition.

He is also Founder and CEO of Care Friends, an employee referral app operated in partnership with Skills for Care which won the 2023 King's Award for Innovation.

Neil was previously a director for a national homecare provider with 10,000 staff.

Thea Stein

CEO, Nuffield Trust

Thea Stein is the Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust. She took up the post in September 2023.

Thea was previously Chief Executive at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, and before then Chief Executive of Carers Trust, Yorkshire Forward and North East Leeds Primary Care Trust. Thea has also held a number of non-executive roles in housing organisations and academia.

Thea was a trustee of the Nuffield Trust between 2019 and 2023.

Lucy Campbell

CEO, Right at Home

Lucy Campbell is Chief Executive Officer for Right at Home UK. With a wealth of knowledge and experience in franchising and senior level business management, Lucy joined Right at Home from the social enterprise Franchising Works where she had been the Chief Executive. Having begun her time at Right at Home as a Senior Business Support Manager where she supported Franchise Owners to progress and develop their businesses, Lucy quickly progressed to Director of Operations, then COO, before being promoted to CEO at the start of 2022. Lucy has a strong track record for developing an extensive portfolio of businesses successfully from pre-start through to scale-up and her leadership has been pivotal in securing Right at Home two of the most prestigious accolades in franchising: the WorkBuzz Best Management Franchise Award and the coveted Franchisor of the Year Gold Award. Alongside her role as CEO, Lucy is a Vice Chair for the Homecare Association. Lucy is also an award-winning franchisor, having won the prestigious national EWiF Franchisor of the Year award three years in a row in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and most recently awarded Business Woman of the Year 2023 at the Women Achieving Greatness is Social Care Awards. 

Matthew Bond

CEO & Co-Founder, Borderless

Amrit Dhaliwal

CEO, Walfinch

Amrit Dhaliwal brings together his commitment to care with a focus on delivering enhanced quality of service for clients across the UK.  His care sector skills and experience as both a leader in care and as an award-winning businessman as CEO of Walfinch, support a growing network of franchised Walfinch home-based care offices across the UK.

Walfinch’s aim is to become the UK’s leading quality care provider, and Amrit and his experienced team work closely with all Walfinch franchisees to enable them to provide the highest standard of care services available for clients across the nation.

Barny Leavers

Director - NHS Workforce Plan, NHS England

Since April 2022 Barny has led the team across Health Education England and NHS England (now merged together as one organisation) to develop and produce the NHS’ most ambitious and comprehensive Long Term Workforce Plan to date. The Plan set out projected workforce needs for the entirety of the NHS in England over the next 15 years, and how that could be delivered, and secured government financial backing to implement the first steps up to 2028.

Previously, Barny spent three years in the Chief Executive’s team at NHS England, first as a senior advisor, and then as Chief of Staff to Simon Stevens, before facilitating the transition to Amanda Pritchard in the summer of 2021.

Barny’s career at NHS England began in Financial Strategy & Allocations in 2016, following a spell as a civil servant in central government.

John Rennison

Owner & CEO, 1st Homecare

John qualified as Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1986 and went on to perform various financial roles in London, Johannesburg and Madrid including 6 years as European Controller within the media group, WPP.

Spurred on by a wish to run his own business and a wish to make a real difference to people’s lives he bought his first home care business in 2012 providing care to the disabled and elderly in Bedfordshire. The business has grown organically and by acquisition and now has four branches – including a Live-in-Service - across four neighbouring counties.

Since 2012 the 1^st Homecare group has grown consistently and currently delivers care to some 200 clients with all branches operating with the same values, systems and processes. The Group now has a digital care system allowing Care notes and call log-in details to be sent to the local offices and to client family members at the end of each visit.

He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2017 he attended the Cranfield Business Growth Programme. He has been a Director of the Homecare Association since 2021 and its Treasurer since 2022. He regularly speaks on topical care issues at Care events throughout the country.

Sharon Lowrie

Chief Executive, BeCaring

Sharon has been the Chief Executive for over three years, and oversaw the company’s transformation from CASA, a struggling organisation to Be Caring, a financially prudent employee-owned social enterprise.

Under her leadership Be Caring has delivered a surplus for the second year running, despite the COVID pandemic, and has been able to reward and incentivise colleagues in recognition of the hard work.

Sharon was appointed in 2018 from Locala, where she had worked as their Director of Finance and Business Development since 2015.

Thea Stein

CEO, Nuffield Trust

Thea Stein is the Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust. She took up the post in September 2023.

Thea was previously Chief Executive at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, and before then Chief Executive of Carers Trust, Yorkshire Forward and North East Leeds Primary Care Trust. Thea has also held a number of non-executive roles in housing organisations and academia.

Thea was a trustee of the Nuffield Trust between 2019 and 2023.

Kate Garraway

TV & Radio Presenter,

Kate Garraway is a TV and radio presenter and journalist.

In 2021 her documentary Finding Derek received ITV’s highest ratings for a documentary in 16 years.

Kate got her start on TV in 1994, joining the South edition of ITV News Central as a production journalist, reporter and news presenter. Two years later, she became co-presenter of the South East edition of ITV News Meridian, and in 1998 she joined Sunrise on Sky News.

Kate joined GMTV in September 2000, co-presenting GMTV Today with fellow Smooth star Andrew Castle. She went on to share presenting duties with Fiona Phillips and Emma Crosby.

In 2009, she co-hosted GMTV with Ben Shephard and then became entertainment editor of Daybreak shortly after. In December 2011 she took over from Christine Bleakley as the main presenter.

Kate currently presents Good Morning Britain alongside Ben Shepherd and Susanna Reid, and since 2021 she has been been the presenter of Kate Garraway’s Life Stories.

Kate has also appeared in Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.

Lucy Campbell

CEO, Right at Home

Lucy Campbell is Chief Executive Officer for Right at Home UK. With a wealth of knowledge and experience in franchising and senior level business management, Lucy joined Right at Home from the social enterprise Franchising Works where she had been the Chief Executive. Having begun her time at Right at Home as a Senior Business Support Manager where she supported Franchise Owners to progress and develop their businesses, Lucy quickly progressed to Director of Operations, then COO, before being promoted to CEO at the start of 2022. Lucy has a strong track record for developing an extensive portfolio of businesses successfully from pre-start through to scale-up and her leadership has been pivotal in securing Right at Home two of the most prestigious accolades in franchising: the WorkBuzz Best Management Franchise Award and the coveted Franchisor of the Year Gold Award. Alongside her role as CEO, Lucy is a Vice Chair for the Homecare Association. Lucy is also an award-winning franchisor, having won the prestigious national EWiF Franchisor of the Year award three years in a row in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and most recently awarded Business Woman of the Year 2023 at the Women Achieving Greatness is Social Care Awards. 

Oonagh Smyth

CEO, Skills for Care

Oonagh Smyth is Chief Executive Officer of Skills for Care, which is the strategic workforce planning and development body for adult social care in England.

Oonagh started off in law, with a Masters in Human Rights Law and moved into equality law, governance and strategy. She has extensive experience working with organisations across the social care sector, she worked in Mencap for 8 years as the Executive Director of Strategy and Influence, and led Mencap for a short period before coming to Skills for Care in 2020.

Oonagh is on a number of advisory groups including Think Local Act Personal and Coventry University’s Vice Chancellor Health Advisory Board. She is also a former Co-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance and an accredited executive coach. 

Deborah Sturdy CBE

Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, DHSC

No bio provided

Barny Leavers

Director - NHS Workforce Plan, NHS England

Since April 2022 Barny has led the team across Health Education England and NHS England (now merged together as one organisation) to develop and produce the NHS’ most ambitious and comprehensive Long Term Workforce Plan to date. The Plan set out projected workforce needs for the entirety of the NHS in England over the next 15 years, and how that could be delivered, and secured government financial backing to implement the first steps up to 2028.

Previously, Barny spent three years in the Chief Executive’s team at NHS England, first as a senior advisor, and then as Chief of Staff to Simon Stevens, before facilitating the transition to Amanda Pritchard in the summer of 2021.

Barny’s career at NHS England began in Financial Strategy & Allocations in 2016, following a spell as a civil servant in central government.

Tim Wilson

Tim Wilson joined the domiciliary care sector in 2009, taking his franchise independent in 2015. As the Managing Director of Assist Care Group, he has successfully overseen the growth and expansion of the company across Surrey and West Sussex, with an ethos centred on quality and customer satisfaction and partnership working with the Local Authority.

Before joining the healthcare sector, Tim accrued invaluable experience working in the technology sector, including roles at two of the world's top five tech firms, where he leveraged his expertise as a technology consultant. Tim is committed to integrating technology into Social Care to enhance operational efficiency and transparency.

He is also actively engaged in the governance and oversight of Social Care operations on a broader scale. Tim served as a Board Director for the West Sussex Care Association (WPSiC) for eight years and is currently a Surrey Care Association board member. His input into these boards has been instrumental in steering policy and setting best practices within the industry.

Matthew Bond

CEO & Co-Founder, Borderless

Muhammad Damji

Managing Director, Caring Crew

No bio provided

Jess Clayton

GLAA Victim Navigator, Justice & Care

Jess is one of the Victim Navigators working for the modern slavery charity, Justice & Care. The Victim Navigator programme is a unique one as the role is embedded within law enforcement. Jess’s role is embedded within the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). Supporting victims of labour exploitation within care homes is unfortunately very common for Jess and team in recent years. As well as working with victims directly, Justice & Care are working with partners to try influence positive systemic change.

Gary Fee

CEO, City & County Healthcare

No bio provided

Max Wurr

Interim Director of Policy, Practice & Innovation, Homecare Association

Starting his social care career as a care worker, Max spent twenty-seven years in the independent care sector, most recently as Director of Policy and Communications for City and County Healthcare Group, the UK's largest provider of state-funded home care. With a wide range of experience in all aspects of care delivery, from regulatory compliance through employment relations and PR and media, alongside a degree in law, Max has also contributed to important conversations and policy developments within the sector, including with NICE and DHSC/NHS England. He spent nine years on the Board of the UKHCA (now the Homecare Association), most recently as Vice-Chair.

Sara Booth

Founder & Registered Manager , Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd

As the founder and Registered Manager of Complete Care West Yorkshire Ltd (2007), Sara has spent over 16 years building a successful and award-winning business that provides essential care and support to adults in Wakefield and Kirklees. Her team of trained community care professionals are committed to delivering high quality care within the local community.

Sara's drive to improve social care extends beyond her company, as she founded and chairs the Wakefield Registered Managers Network, which fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing among social care professionals.

Sara is an active participant in the Peoples Plan Alliance, a group that seeks to advance integrated between health and care services.

Sara is dedicated to raising the profile of social care and showcasing the valuable contributions made by care professionals and recently won the GB Registered Managers Award 2023.

John Rennison

Owner & CEO, 1st Homecare

John qualified as Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1986 and went on to perform various financial roles in London, Johannesburg and Madrid including 6 years as European Controller within the media group, WPP.

Spurred on by a wish to run his own business and a wish to make a real difference to people’s lives he bought his first home care business in 2012 providing care to the disabled and elderly in Bedfordshire. The business has grown organically and by acquisition and now has four branches – including a Live-in-Service - across four neighbouring counties.

Since 2012 the 1^st Homecare group has grown consistently and currently delivers care to some 200 clients with all branches operating with the same values, systems and processes. The Group now has a digital care system allowing Care notes and call log-in details to be sent to the local offices and to client family members at the end of each visit.

He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2017 he attended the Cranfield Business Growth Programme. He has been a Director of the Homecare Association since 2021 and its Treasurer since 2022. He regularly speaks on topical care issues at Care events throughout the country.

Amrit Dhaliwal

CEO, Walfinch

Amrit Dhaliwal brings together his commitment to care with a focus on delivering enhanced quality of service for clients across the UK.  His care sector skills and experience as both a leader in care and as an award-winning businessman as CEO of Walfinch, support a growing network of franchised Walfinch home-based care offices across the UK.

Walfinch’s aim is to become the UK’s leading quality care provider, and Amrit and his experienced team work closely with all Walfinch franchisees to enable them to provide the highest standard of care services available for clients across the nation.

Roger Booker

Chief Executive, Care Sante Limited

Working with private investors, Vitry Enfants, Care Sante was launched in February 2021 with a plan to establish a base to build a national homecare business. 

Four core businesses were acquired during 2021, establishing a four-branch base in Derbyshire, Kent, Hertfordshire and London. During the two years since, the business has grown via contract wins and organically to a 15-location business turning over £15m/annum, with a longer-term plan to develop into a £50m organisation.

Neil Eastwood

Founder & CEO, Care Friends

Neil Eastwood is an international speaker on care worker recruitment and retention within Adult Social Care and author of the book ‘Saving Social Care - How to find more of the best frontline care employees and keep the ones you have’, which is now in its second edition.

He is also Founder and CEO of Care Friends, an employee referral app operated in partnership with Skills for Care which won the 2023 King's Award for Innovation.

Neil was previously a director for a national homecare provider with 10,000 staff.

Diana Stephenson

Managing Director , Calvin Marketing

Diana founded Calvin Marketing, a full service marketing agency over 25 years ago. The business employs a team of experts in advertising, PR, social media and crisis management.

Diana has a wealth of experience in the care sector and is proud of her ongoing relationship with Home Instead. She also worked on the campaign to make VAT zero-rated for home care and with the Homecare Association and The Care Workers’ Charity on the inaugural Celebrating Homecare Day in 2021.