July 19, 2010

- Team24: A winning team -

Sharron Livingston, on an outstanding resource for carers

If a family member is elderly, disabled or debilitated by illness, but wishes to stay at home to maintain independence and comfort, private nursing care offers a solution. But finding professionals with the right skills and compassion – often at short notice – to care for yourself or for someone you love can be daunting.

"It is difficult enough when a family member is ill, but then a decision has to be made about looking after the patient at home or in a home," says Robert Stiff, founder and managing director of Team24. "Taking advantage of nursing care means your loved one can stay at home and for many that is a much more appealing solution."

Zimbabwe-born Robert Stiff and his wife Catherine set up Team24, a healthcare recruitment agency, in 2005. Initially the company supplied locum doctors in the far reaches of Britain, such as Orkney and other remote areas of Scotland. Shortly after, the company responded to demand by supplying nurses, then branched out into the private healthcare market UK wide.

Matching nurses to patients is an art that Robert and his team have developed with a combination of human screening and IT: investing huge sums into technology to streamline the matching process. With a website at click4privatenursing.co.uk – as part of a larger group fully registered with the Care Quality Commission – the business has been specifically developed to offer specialised private nursing for families, based on healthcare requirements. Services include respite, live-in or disability care through to terminal illness care. The team is able to respond 24 hours a day.

The vetting process is stringent. "We get around 1,000 inquiries a month, but we proceed with fewer than a quarter. Our database has more than 30,000 professionals, with 3,000 that are active at any one time. Our nurses are highly trained and qualified to look after people in their own home, so they don’t have to stay in a hospital. Short-term professional healthcare services are useful, especially after a hospital discharge or post-surgery convalescence.

"A good example is a patient who has undergone a hip operation. They would have to stay in hospital until they are well enough to leave. With one of our nurses looking after them they can go home earlier and this often leads to a quicker recovery".

Team24 has achieved a level of excellence that has been recognised in the industry. It was ranked by Fastrack 100 as the 16th fastest growing company in the UK in 2009 and was named the Fast Growth Business Awards’ Family Business of the Year 2009. The company has also been a finalist for several more accolades including the Growing Business Innovation/Technology Award. "The Family Business of the Year Award which we won earlier this year was particularly special. Not just because of my and Catherine’s inception of Team24, but because my children – Katie, Chloe and Mark – are all grown up now and work alongside us at Team24."

"We have had an incredible first five years," says Robert, who spent seven years in the British Army. "Our current customers range from small GP surgeries, "out of hours", large NHS trusts, hospitals and private clients in their homes. I was in the military and that taught me about the importance of discipline and teamwork, both of which I have carried with me throughout my business career."

With cuts in public-sector costs, there is a government-led trend for patients to be cared for at home. The future looks bright for Team24, which is well placed to serve an expanding home care market.

"The government is putting a lot of emphasis on veering patients away from hospitals to be cared for in their homes and is looking to increase funding for Primary Care Trusts to give patients the option of care at home. Also people are becoming more conscientious about how they want their loved ones to be cared for and how they want the care to be delivered. We are well placed to serve this growing need."