BelleVie Secures Funding to Support People to Live Well at Home in the North East
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the crisis in the care industry. Change is needed, and at BelleVie we are determined to be the drivers of this change. We are very pleased to announce that we have secured £850k of investment to help us in our mission, in a round led by Northstar Ventures via the North East Innovation Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
In 2020 we expanded into the North East and our team of Wellbeing Support Workers based in Chester-le-Street, Durham, are now supporting people living in the County Durham and Tyne and Wear areas. Our vision is to shape a world where the people who give and receive care are valued and thrive together. The aim is simple: to value those working in care, attracting top professionals to deliver outstanding support to individuals. We plan to use the funding to create more quality jobs in the North East, with our organisation on course to grow from four self-managing teams to fifty across the UK.
Over 3.5 million older adults in the UK need support to enjoy the later life they want, rather than manage the later life they fear. By 2040 the number needing support will rise to 5.9 million, and we are dedicated to providing an alternative to the current ‘time-and-task’ care model.
BelleVie’s CEO and Co-Founder, Dr Trudie Fell, commented: “The care sector is in crisis and it’s widely accepted that the current ‘time-and-task’ model of delivering care is broken. It leaves those being supported feeling like items on a tick list, not human beings; and employees are driven away from what can be a fulfilling, meaningful career. Our model allows carers to focus on the person they’re supporting, rather than on the clock. The model uses a network of self-managing teams and is radically different. There is a large and growing demand for quality care, so we are very excited about being able to expand this new way of working to more people in the North East following our successful fundraise.”
Northstar Director Alasdair Greig said, “Northstar are keen supporters of BelleVie’s vision to shape a world where the people who give and receive care are valued, and we know that the funding will contribute to the creation of fairly paid jobs, in line with BelleVie’s Living Wage accreditation. It will transform the lives of older people in the communities BelleVie support, by offering a person-centred, holistic approach to support.”
