A new business launched in Pembrokeshire aims to bridge the gap between housekeeping and care.

Taylormaids is the creation of Emma Taylor, one of the directors of NetLet UK, a Pembrokeshire company that provides holiday home rentals as well as laundry, property servicing and housekeeping services for holiday homes and for people in the local community.

Emma recognised that the company’s trained housekeepers could easily be upskilled to provide a valuable service to elderly people in the community who need some extra help in their homes but do not yet need full time care.

Taylormaids are uniformed, DBS checked helpers who can assist their elderly clients with whatever they need, from housekeeping to shopping trips or outings. Each Taylormaid is given specific training to suit the needs of their clients, covering everything from Alzheimer’s to mental health issues such as hoarding. They also have access to NetLet’s network of other service providers, from gardeners to plumbers.

At £20 per hour, Taylormaids are significantly more affordable than private care, which can run to £45 or £50 per hour.

Emma came up with the idea for Taylormaids after seeing her late grandfather’s care needs increase – but not enough for him to move into a care home. She recognised that NetLet already had a team of staff who could help him, and others like him.

By prioritising training for her team, she has also been able to provide valuable opportunities for career progression: they can access courses on a broad range of subjects and gain NVQ qualifications that help to build their confidence and career prospects.

“I started Taylormaids because as my grandad’s needs increased, I could see that the bridge between independent living and full-time care was foggy,” she says. “I felt there was a need for a service that would help support clients to live independently for as possible and relieve pressure on family members. Our Taylormaids can fill in the gap until clients need more care. They are fully checked, uniformed, trained and insured, so clients and their families can be confident that they are in safe hands. NetLet is not just a holiday home company – providing valuable services to our local community is very much part of our mission, and Taylormaids is an important element of that.”