Five to watch: Devika Wood and Naushard Jabir, Vida

Devika Wood and Naushard Jabir, 27 & 32
Company: Vida
Web: www.vida.co.uk

“The care industry in the UK is in crisis”; care homes are closing down and the care-at-home sector is highly fragmented with more than 8,500 care agencies monopolising particular geographies and a lack of profit caps resulting in expensive but poor-quality care.

And it’s not just the clients that suffer: many agencies pay their carers well below the London minimum wage when taking into account travel time.

Enter Vida; the end-to-end, personalised and scalable care technology platform “aiming to redefine the care industry in the UK and internationally”.

The company invests in high-quality carers and provides personalised in-home care for clients across London and Sussex at a flat rate of £16 an hour.

The company was founded by Naushard Jabir and Devika Wood in 2016. For Wood, the company is a very personal project, having cared and lived with her grandmother – who suffered from dementia and epilepsy – at the age of just 10 and seeing her receive more than 150 carers over 10 years. After such a poor experience, she was determined to improve the industry for carers and clients.

All of Vida’s carers go through an enhanced DBS and relevant background checks, in-person interviews, an entrance exam, advanced training, background checks and certifications to ensure they are of able to provide the highest standard of care.

In addition, Vida’s CQC-approved technology platform provides real-time monitoring, improves communication and transparency, and captures vital health data to ensure a positive outcome for the patient through its dashboard, carer app and client app.

Wood and Jabir’s and their team of 24 are putting care back into the care industry and we’re looking forward to watching it grow.