Greenwich nurse who built a care firm with council help urges others to follow

A Greenwich nurse who built a home care company with free help from the council is encouraging other residents to use the same support.

Banke Agbaje set up Sacred Heart Healthcare with backing from Greenwich Council’s Community Micro-Enterprise Programme. She first trained as a lawyer, then retrained as a nurse because she wanted to give something back to the community that had looked after her when she needed care herself.

How the Greenwich care business programme works

The programme is aimed at residents who care for others and want to build that work into a firm that can stand on its own feet. Residents pay nothing to join. Mentors and advisers talk founders through practical questions, including regulation and insurance, and help them plan how the business can grow.

Agbaje’s company now has a team of five. It gives personalised care to people in their own homes across Greenwich and Kent, helping them live with dignity. She has also secured funding to look at turning the firm into a co-operative, so that everyone involved would have more say in how it is run.

“If you have a passion for helping people, don’t underestimate what you can achieve,” she said. Starting out had not always been easy, she added, but the support she received gave her the confidence to grow.

Councillor Mariam Lolavar, whose cabinet brief at the council covers health and adult social care, said Agbaje’s story showed what local people could do when they were supported. She said community micro-enterprises offer personalised, flexible support that lets people stay independent, and also create local jobs.

How to register interest

Residents thinking about starting a community care business can register their interest with the council by email or through the Royal Greenwich website.