‘I actually started TopCare as a business when I was under 30 years old, and it’s nice seeing other young people making a difference.’

That’s Sal Heddi, the manager at TopCare Nursing Agency, this year’s Gef 30 Under 30 Community Impact category partner. It’s a perfect fit for someone who created his own business in his 20s, in the hope he could make a positive impact on people in the local community.

No doubt if he was born a few years later, Sal would have been a Gef 30 Under 30 winner himself.

For those of you who don’t know about TopCare, it was established in 2019 and provides nursing and domiciliary support to adults and children in their own homes, meaning people don’t have to go to hospital unless absolutely necessary.

‘We work island-wide and support people from short visits to 24/7 care,’ Sal says.

‘We help with personal care, medication administration, light house duties, night duties. We offer blood tests at home, in the workplace, or at the TopCare clinic in Douglas. We also help young people with complex care needs, and we provide support for family members.’

That’s just a sample of what TopCare offers. With more than 100 employees, the organisation has a big workforce, the majority of which is made up of young people.

TopCare provides opportunities to benefit their career development which, in turn, benefits the wider community.

‘We provide in-house training and online courses – in which you can gain accredited qualifications – for young people who are looking to change their career.

‘You don’t need experience in healthcare, and you can start work with us immediately while undergoing training. We think it's a huge opportunity for young people that are considering a change of career and want to make a difference to other’s lives.’

One of the integral parts of TopCare is how it gets young people working with older people to help build a sense of community.

‘I think young people have a uniqueness in terms of what they can bring into the home care environment,’ says Christine O’Hanlon, the admin manager for TopCare.

‘Our young people learn from the clients, the clients learn from the young people as well, and it embeds young people into the community.’

The ethos and values of TopCare make it a natural fit for the Gef 30 Under 30 campaign.

‘We’ve really enjoyed being involved,’ Sal says.

‘It's nice to see young people making huge differences to our community.

‘Young people are obviously the future of the island, and we want to do our bit to help encourage that talent to stay here. That's why we welcome this type of initiative; it recognises the hard work young people do, because very often it doesn't get seen. That recognition is something we want to be part of.’

If you would like to find out more about TopCare, you can do so on their website or you can contact them via phone on 628919, or email on [email protected].