Voyage Care Welcomes Alex Norris MP to Nottinghamshire Care Home

Care provider Voyage welcomed Alex Norris to visit its care and support facilities at Arnold Road Residential Care Home in Bestwood on 22 September 2023.

Alex Norris, MP for Nottingham North and Shadow Minister for Policing, met with people supported by Voyage Care and their care workers, and discussed what improvements they’d like to see in the sector to support them in living the life they choose.

Alex Norris MP was given a tour of the Voyage Care home and met with staff and those who Voyage Care supports. He spoke with Hayley Evans, Operations Director at Voyage Care, and Gemma Wain, Operations Manager at Voyage Care, to discuss key issues in adult social care.

A report published by the King’s Fund earlier this year highlighted several key challenges affecting the sector, including recruitment issues, funding and the cost of living crisis, all meaning sometimes people aren’t able to access the care they need. Voyage Care is determined to reframe the debate around adult social care so that it focusses on those of working age being supported as much as those who are older or those needing to be discharged from hospitals.

Voyage Care is a sector leading specialist provider for people with learning disabilities, autism, brain injuries and complex needs, supporting 3,500 people across the UK. It employs more than 11,000 staff members to enable people to lead more independent and fulfilled lives.

Andrew Cannon, Chief Executive Officer at Voyage Care, said: “We see it as our duty to raise awareness of the issues that exist within social care. By inviting politicians and policy makers to meet with the people we support, we can showcase the extraordinary work our colleagues do every day to enable them to live as independently as possible.

“Enabling access to high quality specialist adult social care is fundamental to the lives of those we support and also helps to reduce the systemwide pressure on wider public services, such as the NHS, housing and other social care. Among our ideas is calling for the Government to introduce a new Commissioner for Adult Social Care with a legal mandate to promote and protect the rights of those relying on the adult social care system.”

Alex Norris MP said: “It was great to meet with staff and service users at Arnold Road Residential Care Home to hear about their experiences of the care sector. High quality social care is a vital part of our healthcare system and it was good to see first-hand the specialist support being provided at Arnold Road for people with learning disabilities, autism, brain injuries and complex needs.”