Island Life Magazine Ltd February / March 2016 | Page 87

FEATURE

Caring
with a
capital ‘C’
F

inding good, professional care for
a loved one can be a fraught and
stressful process for many families.
They want the same level of care
and concern for their relative that they
themselves would provide - but often,
work or other family commitments force
the decision to call in outside help.
That’s where one Isle of Wight care
provider, Newport-based Charmes Care,
comes into the picture, with its focus
firmly on nurturing not just the clients in
their care – but just as importantly, their
26 care staff too.
Registered Care Manager Charmain
Messenger – known as Charlie – says her
philosophy is simple: “I believe that if you
value your staff then they will care for the

customers that much better.
“Care staff need nurturing because
they give out such a lot, and we pride
ourselves on the way we treat our staff”.
It was this dedication to high standards
that led to her being a semi-finalist in the
Influential Woman category of the Venus
Awards, the so-called Working Women’s
Oscars, earlier this year.
Charlie, who has worked at the front end
of the care service on the Island for 10
years before founding the company with
husband Nigel two years ago, strongly
believes in a team approach, and for that
reason continues to do some of the care
calls herself as well as heading up the
office-base at Mill Court Business Centre.
She admits her job can be all-

consuming, since she’s frequently on call
in the evening and weekends, but she’s
says that’s all part and parcel of “not just
meeting, but exceeding expectations”.
Most of Charmes Care’s clients are
elderly people living in their own home,
but they also offer care to adults of all
ages with physical or sensory disabilities.
“We have grown rapidly in just two
years” says Charlie, “mainly because I’ve
delivered what I’ve said on the tin.
“It’s about managing growth so
you don’t take on more than you can
cope with, and that will always be my
approach. The needs of staff and
customers will always come first”.

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