Our latest news round-up takes a look at what we’ve been up to over the last few months, including our annual homecare survey results, new starters and homecare reviews.
People We Support Annual Homecare Survey Results – November 2025
We are delighted to share our annual survey results and recommendations. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their experiences, feedback, and lovely comments about our care team.
The questionnaire was managed and completed by two senior team members, Emily Murray and Laura Kilpatrick, via a blend of telephone surveys and booked home visits. For the first time we are delighted to share we had a 91% response rate. This is fantastic because it’s very important to us as a service to receive your feedback. It enables us to look at areas where we excel and those we need to improve and make recommendations.
The feedback for the carers was exceptional. The praise for individual carers was also high, which we have fed back to them. They felt recognised and valued, and it reaffirmed the positive impact they have on everyone they support. They were really grateful for the feedback, so thank you for sharing this with us.
The satisfaction with the service was very positive. Common praise being shared included the carers being friendly, professional, kind and helpful. Many respondents said carers go above and beyond and help maintain the independence of those they care for, which was lovely to read.
Comments in the survey included:
• “Everyone is very approachable and easy to communicate with. Everyone has worked hard to give XXXX the best care.”
• “Very good services and personal attention, carers are kind, thoughtful and considerate of my needs but also very professional.”
• “I rate the service 10/10 100% carers are brilliant, I can’t do without them.”
• “Each and every carer makes me feel human. They make me feel respected and cared about.”
Areas we need to improve/recommendations
• Consistency in carers and timings
• Reduce the number of last-minute rota changes/swaps and if changes are made at last minute to inform the person of
• Smaller regular care teams for familiarity and continuity
We will work hard over the coming months in creating runs for carers to improve continuity and reduce the travelling distances. Thank you once again to everyone who gave us their feedback.
Welcome to our new carers
A very warm welcome to our new team members Rachel, Ikodiya and Gillian, who have joined us in Harrogate.
We have also welcomed back Danielle, who has returned to Continued Care and is working as part of our Ripon team.
We’re delighted to have them with us and hope you will get to meet them soon if you haven’t already!
Great British Care Awards – February 2026
We are incredibly proud of our team’s achievements at the Great British Care Awards, with two members of staff making it to the national finals in Birmingham on Friday 27th February. Huge congratulations to Amanda Ramsay, finalist for the Home Care Registered Manager Award, and Allgar Ziyanera, finalist for the Home Care Worker Award.
Although neither of them took home the national title, reaching the finals is an outstanding achievement and a true reflection of the compassion, professionalism and dedication shown every day within our service.
The Great British Care Awards celebrate the hard work and dedication of all the amazing people who work in the care sector. Allgar and Amanda’s success recognises the high standard of care that all of our staff provide to the people we support.
Goodbyes and Hellos
After seven years with Continued Care, Nichola, our Deputy Registered Manager, has left us as she progresses in her career as a registered manager in Leeds. We wish her all the best. We also wish Alex well in his next venture applying to start his nurse training in September.
We are delighted that Megan Munro (pictured) has rejoined our service as Deputy Registered Manager, and that Emily Murray has become a new rota coordinator.
Megan first joined Continued Care in 2020 as a carer in Harrogate, progressing to Assistant Manager of our Ripon service. Following a move to Norfolk, Megan gained further experience within adult mental health social care, working with individuals with a range of complex needs while developing a particular interest in supporting autistic individuals. Megan holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Forensic Psychology, which informs her approach to person-centred care and leadership.
Outside of work, she is an animal lover, enjoys swimming and at the start of this year ventured into wild swimming. She has also started learning Norwegian.
Megan has now returned to Yorkshire and we are delighted to welcome her back to Continued Care.
She says: “I am excited to be returning to the service as Deputy Registered Manager and to be back in the Harrogate office, reconnecting with colleagues and clients. I am very happy to be back in Yorkshire and look forward to contributing to the continued delivery of high standards across the service.”
Pay As You Can Café
Every Wednesday at St Wilfrid’s Church in Harrogate, local food charity Resurrected Bites runs a pay-as-you-can café from 10am to 2pm. Everyone is welcome, last orders 1.15pm.
Parkinson’s UK Drop-In Service
We are pleased to announce that we have been successfully appointed by Parkinson’s UK Harrogate and District branch to work in collaboration providing and facilitating a drop-in service in Harrogate and Ripon. This will take place at Christ Church Hall in Harrogate from 2pm to 4pm on the third Thursday of each month, with the next session taking place on 18th June. The one in Ripon is at Community House from 10am to 12pm on the second Friday of the month, with the next session on 12th June.
We also have been commissioned to provide respite companionship visits for people referred in to our service via the Parkinson’s UK pathway. The Harrogate and District branch holds and hosts a lot of activities within our local area including exercise classes and golf, to name a few. Information can be found at www.harrogateparkinsons.co.uk
Charity Fundraising
As a company with people and community at our heart, we have always supported a range of charities and voluntary organisations both locally and nationally. We have raised more than £40,000 over the past ten years, and continue to be committed to supporting good causes.
Every year, our team members take part in a variety of charity activities. Most recently, our director and assistant director Samantha Harrison and Mike Herrington undertook a four-day trek to Machu Picchu in Peru. They were raising money for our Charity of the Year, Mind in the Harrogate District, which supports local people with mental health issues and their families.
At the time of writing, they have raised over £2,000 for Mind. And they’re not having a rest! In July, Monica, Mike, Karen, Diane, Megan, Gareth and Maria-Alice will be climbing Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK, again to raise money and awareness of Mind.
If you would like to make a donation please contact Mike or Monica on 01423 871 003 or visit our Just Giving page.
Other members of our team have also planned another inspirational year of fundraising to support Mind as well as a variety of other great causes. Kristina Carr has run two marathons in two weeks – the London Marathon on 26th April for the NSPCC and the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on 10th May for Saint Michael’s Hospice, raising nearly £1,700 and more than £600 respectively so far.
Danielle Thompson, meanwhile, will be taking part in a 26-mile trek around Ullswater in the Lake District on 18th July for the men’s suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club.
Carers of the Month
Congratulations to our recent Carers of the Month and thank you to ALL our staff who work so hard with kindness and compassion every day. Our Carers of the Month for 2026 so far are:
January – Lynn Turner, whose name is mentioned again and again when people talk about outstanding care. She always gives 100% at every visit and is regularly praised for being kind, caring and reliable. Clients often say they could not manage without her support and feel safe and reassured when she is around.
February – Laura Kilpatrick, who has shown consistent high standards of care. Clients comment on her warm approach, reliability, and the reassurance she provides. Laura has also shown patience, professionalism and strong leadership skills while supporting and mentoring a new member of staff during her shadowing shifts, offering guidance and helping build confidence.
March – Sarah Linfoot, for showing real dedication to her role and always being willing to help, even on her days off if needed. Her caring nature and commitment to making sure her clients are well supported do not go unnoticed.
Comments we’ve received about Sarah include: “She really cares about mum so much and yet again went above and beyond. I appreciate all she does so much” and “Sarah is so thoughtful and caring and goes above and beyond in her job. She has become a good friend and always keeps me well informed if something is not right.”
April – Angeline Tafirey, for her outstanding and consistent support. She was recognised for working closely with families and other professionals to deliver exceptional, consistent care, particularly in more complex situations. We received a lot of positive feedback from the families and carers of the clients that Angeline supports.
If you would like to nominate someone as Carer of the Month, please give Monica Tavares a call on 01423 871 003.
Fantastic Reviews on Homecare Website
We’re thrilled to have a review score of 9.6 out of 10 on the Homecare website!
This was calculated from a total 58 reviews, with 27 of those from the past two years, and we are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to comment. A big thank you, too, to our amazing team for all their hard work.
If you would like to submit a review about Continued Care to the Homecare website, we would be very grateful – please visit the Homecare website to do so.
Social Day Clubs
Why not give our Social Day Clubs a go with a free taster session! The clubs run weekly in Harrogate and are open to all adults, with family / friend carers welcome to attend too. You’ll find a warm and friendly place where you can:
• Socialise and make new friends • Enjoy a hot lunch and a pack-up tea and juice • Access practical services such as a hair cut and manicure • Participate in exercise and activities
You can book a place for yourself or someone you know. Funding towards regular attendance at the club may be available as part of your plan of care from North Yorkshire Council – please ask us about this.
Please do come for a free taster session! You will be made very welcome, and we can arrange transport there and back for you free of charge. To find out more about our Social Day Clubs, please call us on 01423 871 003.
