Sareena Sanger: ASK Care

Sareena Sanger, 32
Company: ASK Care
Web: www.ask-care.com

Started from scratch when she was just 21 years old “with no prior experience”, Sareena Sanger has grown London-based ASK Care to a 450-strong company (combining head office staff with on the field workers).

ASK Care provides quality home care for everyone from children to the elderly and people with mild up to severe disabilities.

With an emphasis on upholding the dignity of its service users and maximising their independence and choice, the company offers a range of care packages that can be tailored to each person’s individual needs and budgets.

As well as caring for its clients, ASK is committed to caring for its carers, with a focus on providing jobs to local women who often don’t speak English as their first language.

It provides full training and support and employs them on a gig basis to give them the flexibility to work on a timeframe suitable for their schedule. Regular staff meetings are held to ensure any issues are dealt with promptly and a calendar of team-building events – including a sports day for staff and clients – brings them together and supports 20 charities every year.

One of ASK’s care workers was awarded ‘Best Homecare Worker’ in the whole of London in 2015 and went on to be shortlisted for a regional ‘Carers Award’.

And because familiarity is important for carer and client, Sanger aims to reinvest back into the company every year to ensure staff turnaround is kept to a minimum and they are retained for longer terms. It’s not hard to see what’s fuelled ASK’s success over the last decade and built it into a respected provider in an industry that demands trust and compassion.

Sanger works six days a week without any such holiday or breaks and is aiming for the establishment to become a brand in the future whereby the model can be replicated across other boroughs. In 2016 the company turned over £284,400, most of which goes towards staff wages!

The company is now designing its very own software system, to monitor care staff whilst in the field. It decided to design its own as others were very expensive and didn’t suit its needs.

Sanger says: “I lead by example, as I can only expect a certain dedication and commitment to the work if I do it myself”.