Optalis celebrates 5th birthday

Managing Director Mette Le Jakobsen visits Optalis services with cakes, biscuits and fruit to celebrate milestone birthday

In June 2011, Optalis became the provider of Wokingham Borough Council’s adult social care services which included day centres, an employment service, home care, residential care, brokerage and support and a sensory needs service. Since then, our highly-experienced and professional staff team has worked hard to move the company forward, and they continue to provide high quality, specialist services to our customers. Milestones Optalis has achieved in the last five years include:

• Establishing a new ‘Out and About’ service which provides a range of varied and interesting evening and weekend activities for people with a learning disability.
  
• Launching the innovative Optalis Supported Employment Service’s skills-based course in partnership with Reading College called Ace@Optalis to provide a smooth transition from college into employment for students who have been studying work-related courses at Reading College.

• The award of new contracts to Optalis by Bracknell Forest Council and Oxfordshire County Council to provide care and support in extra care schemes.
  
• Receiving an array of awards for our outstanding staff: Social Worker Anju Bhatti won the 2015 Social Worker Lifetime Achievement Award, Senior Support Worker Mandy Loveday won the 2015 Ancillary Worker of the Year for the Southern Region in the Great British Care Awards and In 2014 Rebecca Craker won National Activities Co-ordinator of the Year at the Social Care Awards.
  
• Expanding our home care service to become a care responder service which can deal with overnight care and support emergencies relieving pressure from the NHS.
  
• Taking over management of four learning disability residential homes and successfully turning them around in our capacity as ‘provider of last resort’.

Optalis’ Managing Director Mette Le Jakobsen said: “Developing what is essentially a new business is an exciting and challenging venture. We plan to grow and develop our range of specialist services whilst continuing to focus on excellent quality for our customers. I am looking forward to the next five years where we continue to establish our presence in Wokingham and beyond.”

Staff across Optalis were treated to birthday cakes to say ‘thank you’ for their continued hard work and dedication and to mark this special occasion.