A family-run provider of homecare rooted deeply in the local community.
Tanya and Michael George are the husband-and-wife team behind Caremark Chelmsford & Uttlesford. They lead a family-run provider of homecare rooted deeply in the local community.
For more than 16 years, they have been dedicated to delivering high‑quality homecare. It is built on compassion, dignity and a genuine commitment to improving people’s lives.
Their journey into the world of care wasn’t accidental. It was fuelled by personal experience and a sense of responsibility. Furthermore, they have a belief that care can and should be done better.
Tanya & Michael’s decision to start the business began with an experience which resonated personally with them.
“During an initial franchise visit, we witnessed exemplary care being delivered to an elderly man and this was in stark contrast to the poor-quality support Michael’s own father had received during his battle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” they explain.
“We realised just how transformative good care can be and how damaging poor care is to individuals and families.”
Driven by a strong desire to respond to a genuine local need
For Tanya, the pull towards care was also driven by a strong desire to respond to a genuine local need.
When they approached Essex County Council at the outset in 2009, they were told that the rural area around Dunmow was in need of reliable providers. As a result, this led to them setting up their office there specifically to support the community they lived in themselves at the time.
Starting with no customers and no staff, they have built a thriving service. In fact, it was recently recognised by Caremark nationally when they received the Medium Franchise of the Year Award.
“We were thrilled to be presented with the award, but we did so on behalf of everyone at Caremark Chelmsford & Uttlesford,” they add.
“At the end of the day it’s massive team effort because you’re only as good as your weakest carer and we’re fortunate to have a great staff team supporting customers in need of our services.”
Care is a shared production
For both Tanya & Michael, care is not a transaction but a a shared partnership, or in their words a “co-production”.
“When staff join us, I tell them thar care is a distress purchase,” explains Tanya.
“It’s not a luxury item where you get up in the morning and think I’m going to go and treat myself with some personal care today. We are like the seatbelt, it’s not until you need us that you even know we exist.
“The responsibility for care providers like ourselves is therefore immense because we need to step into someone’s life gently, respectfully and professionally and then empowering them when they are losing that control.”
It’s a privilege to care for people with rich histories
Michael says one of the things he likes best about what they do is hearing the life stories of the people they support.
“We consider it a privilege to care for individuals with rich histories. From war veterans to long-standing members of the community, they very quickly get under your skin,” he says.
For Tanya, the main motivation comes from helping people maintain independence at the point in life when they feel most vulnerable.
“It’s about supporting someone through that transition and doing it in a way that empowers rather than diminishes,” she says.
“Ultimately, we are all about good quality care and the difference that makes to the people we support.”
About Caremark Chelmsford & Uttlesford
Would you like to find out more about our family-run home care company? You can view our range of care services in Dunmow on our website.