This thought leadership article is written by Jade Kent, recently appointed Championing Social Care Ambassador and Corporate legal advisor within the specialist healthcare sector team at Stephens Scown LLP.
Social Care is wide and varied and affects everyone, and so is integral to our society. The experience of Covid-19 really shone a light on the sector and it’s great to see the renewed focus on providing the best care through the use of innovative approaches and the sharing of best practice.
I get great pleasure from helping those within social care to achieve their goals, whether that’s organising their affairs, dealing with an especially thorny issue, or helping them to pass on their business to others – whether a new entrant or an operator looking to expand their offering.
It really is the people who are the backbone of the sector, and for me, it’s more than doing the work – it’s collaborating with the people, such as Smooth Digital and the Care Management Magazine, and attending events to catch up with those doing the valuable work at the front line.
I made it my goal last summer to become more integrated within the sector. Since then, I have enjoyed many virtual and in-person coffees with consultants, accountants, care home operators, bankers and marketing gurus, organised press opportunities and attended events. Each contact has imparted their wisdom, their values, and what their clients want in terms of work and the type of person with whom they wish to work.
Personally and professionally, the benefits of these interactions have been invaluable. I’ve written articles, revamped our healthcare newsletter (with a new guest author each time), attended key events and spent time with those making a tangible difference to the sector. I come to work with a different vision, and it’s made the service that I provide to clients much easier with that deeper knowledge – sharing all of life’s experiences, the constraints, catastrophes, and the celebrations.
While I approach deals from my background as a corporate solicitor, my interactions with people in the care sector highlights that they are about more than the business. The people who run care homes are often a family who care deeply about the residents. The home that my own grandma resided in was made a home by the staff who cared for her until the end. There is something special about working with them to achieve their goals. Taking the time right at the beginning of the journey to find out what makes them tick and meeting them in their own environment helps understand what really matters.
I was delighted to be asked to become one of Championing Social Care’s Ambassadors as a way of further spreading the message of the incredible value of the social care sector to society and to demonstrate how professionals can support those on the frontline to make the sector even better. I want to inspire others to work within the sector, to look for role models, get involved in the conversations and to make a difference to an area that will touch each and every one of us in more ways than we may realise throughout our lives.
I look forward to getting involved in this summer’s Care Home Open Week from 26 June to 2 July, promoting aspirational stories and spreading the word about this wonderful sector. Hopefully it will encourage others to join and help create a new generation of leaders who can share best practice and ideas to grow and nourish our sector.
About Stephens Scown
Stephens Scown was the first large law firm in the UK to become employee-owned, and we have recently gained B Corp™ certification, which underlines our long-term commitment to also being a force for good in wider society, balancing people, planet and profit. This vision and ethos of doing things the right way for our people, clients, planet and community perfectly match the care and values of those working within the care sector.
The specialist Healthcare team at Stephens Scown is fully tuned into the pressures, opportunities and innovations affecting health and social care providers and the challenges brought about by significant changes in the healthcare sector in recent years.
