Grenfell fire made home care boss leave building trade so he could have a 'higher motive than profit'

David Newcombe from Leicestershire had a long successful managerial career in the building product sector but after seeing the unfolding events of Grenfell and lack of regulations, he realised “he hated every minute” of his job and decided to change career.

Despite working for large companies and setting up his own consultancy business with his partner, Mr Newcombe realised he was destined to work for the care sector after he had been “signposted” several times in his life.

Mr Newcombe told homecare.co.uk: “I ended up running the UK subsidiary of a well known building products manufacturer [with] a £60m turnover and 135 staff. I really didn’t know how much I disliked it so I just left and set up my own business doing consultancy and did that for 20 months but hated every minute of it.”

In 2020 and in the midst of a global pandemic, a conversation with a franchise match maker suggested Mr Newcombe look at domiciliary care. “I thought I really want to do something that will make a difference. I want to do something that feels much more important than increasing profits and putting money in the bank of somebody I see very little of.

“I was aware of domiciliary care, so I did a lot of research and introduced to Right at Home (Loughborough) by the recruitment manager. The more I thought about it the more I thought I have been pointed this way.”

’I remember watching Grenfell unfold on holiday in Greece, it really affected me’

The regulation of the social care sector was also key to Mr Newcombe. After his experience of working in the building product sector, building regulations were a concern to him after watching the fire of Grenfell in June 2017 which caused 72 deaths.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 where it was confirmed the building's exterior did not comply with regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread.

“I remember watching Grenfell unfold on holiday in Greece and though none of my products were involved, it really affected me.”

“When I looked into home care and how highly regulated it is and saw that Right at Home only operate at the very highest level and my business could be the same, I was sold.

“It is not only possible, but positively essential to have a higher motive than profit.”

Mr Newcombe became managing director of Right at Home Loughborough on November 2, 2020, when the UK was about to enter its third lockdown. “It’s been tough. We went back into national lockdown on 4 November, and I would not have considered going into this sector without the support of Right at Home.”

’I don’t want to do anything else; it is the best thing and a massive privilege’

Throughout his life, Mr Newcombe has seen how social care operates on a personal level and realised he had been “signposted for a long time to the care sector”.

In 2013, his father was diagnosed with vascular dementia and saw how the support his father and his family received led Mr Newcombe to understanding dementia. “Fortunately, he got an early diagnosis, and we were able to get him into a residential home. I had no experience of care then, but I learnt how to deal with dementia and the specific needs of my father’s care until his passing in 2014.”

Mr Newcombe has also been a corporate sponsor of The Alzheimer’s Society where in one year he helped raise £47,000. The company Mr Newcombe worked for also ran courses for dementia awareness training and becoming a Dementia Friend.

At the age of 18, Mr Newcombe was hospitalised as the result of a motorcycle accident in 1983. “I was in hospital for three weeks and when I came out of hospital, I remember feeling really vulnerable and I thought what it was like to be a patient.

“Then, in 2004, my partner broke her leg severely in a skiing accident. It took her 18 months to get over her injury as she got MRSA and it didn’t heal. So, as well as doing a full-time job I became her carer.

"I learnt a lot about myself in that time. I realised I had been signposted for a long time to the care sector and now I don’t want to do anything else; it is the best thing and a massive privilege to know you are responsible for the care clients and it’s your responsibility. It’s fantastic.”

’To be a good carer, all you need is common sense and a good heart’

For anyone thinking about going into social care, Mr Newcombe says: “Whether they are going in as a caregiver or to buy a management franchise, the first thing they have to ask themselves is, are they a caring person?

“To be a good carer, all you need is common sense and a good heart. The good heart is the caring part.”

Right at Home give regular training, mentoring and one to one coaching for all staff.

Mr Newcombe of Right at Home (Loughborough) has seen the impact the pandemic has had on people’s mental health. “It’s been horrendous. This last lockdown has left so many more people feeling anxious and it’s not surprising that everyone is feeling more anxious because everything is uncertain.

"But Leicestershire County Council have a mental health hub that has been set up specifically for health and social care workers. They launched about three months ago and I have pointed a lot of people that way.”

homecare.co.uk, the leading reviews site for homecare, has a jobs section for people looking for a job in care. To view the jobs available click here

click here for more details or to contact Right at Home (Loughborough)