Leeds and Wakefield care firm looks to hire 150 workers - and makes free holiday promise

Mr Asuquo said the firm has had no problem attracting staff due its pay and care policies.

“Some of the people who’ve applied to us for jobs were surprised to find we pay £12 an hour instead of minimum wage and were astonished to discover our visits to clients are always at least 50 minutes long,” he said.

“So many care companies expect carers to deliver care in 15-minute visits then dash off to the next one, leaving them hardly time to say hello and goodbye to the people who depend on them for their daily needs.

“But we at Blossom put the client at the centre of everything, enabling them to develop a trusting relationship with their carer and allowing them time to sit and chat or do whatever improves their quality of life.

“That makes a huge difference to them and give fantastic job satisfaction to our carers, who go home knowing they’ve improved lives rather than spending the day rushing from one unsatisfactory visit to another and wondering if they’ll even get their petrol money back.

“This way of doing things, instituted by John Leggott, co-founder of the Blossom Homecare network, is what attracted me and Mercy to invest in the Leeds and Wakefield franchise.

“It’s an ethical business that puts people first, so we’re recruiting carers who buy into that and will be happy to give our clients the premium service they’re paying for.

“We’ll be giving our carers a £300 starting bonus once they’ve been with us long enough to show commitment.

“After three years with us, we’ll give them a free holiday, all paid for by us, and even pay for them to take a degree.

“We want to grow the care managers of the future.”