Just days before the finals, founder Elizabeth Beh lost vision in one eye.
[Update: This was written right after our win, but it has taken me one month to decide to publish this blog post. Simply because I am shy, and it feels incredibly vulnerable to share. But in the spirit of being brave and celebrating Tresacare's story (not mine), here we go...]
In May we were named one of six finalists for the 2024 Entrepreneurs' Award for Social Innovation (EASI). Organised by the Company of Entrepreneurs, we stood a chance to win a £10,000 grant. The award recognises early-stage companies with the potential to solve big-world problems. It was a huge opportunity for Tresacare and I wanted very badly for us to secure that funding.
The week before the finals on June 3rd turned out to be a flurry of family obligations, appointments and deadlines. Having experienced burnout before, I could tell that I was being pulled in a little too many directions, saying yes to a little too many people, and that the pressure was building. Familiar signs were coming back: An onset of cold symptoms, migraines, fatigue.
A few days before the finals, I suddenly lost vision in my left eye. My vision turned cloudy and distorted, and I could only see rough outlines and faded colours. A strange, blank patch loomed in the middle of my field of vision where the world used to be.
This had happened before, but never so rapidly. I fought to keep my panic down as I told my husband. We rushed to the emergency room at Moorfields Eye Hospital, where doctors treated me for ocular pressure and kept me for observation. I was put on ten different medications – a personal record. The side effects included anxiety, panic attacks, dizziness, and nausea. The cocktail of drugs left me feeling strange and weakened.
With my loss of vision, my fatigued medicated state, and the finals just three days away, I was worried not only about my health but also about the competition. I had no idea if I would be able to attend the final, but also knew that I didn't want us to miss out on such an important opportunity. My mentor advised me to put my health first, yet I felt very strongly that Tresacare deserved a chance to get recognition and financial support.
I decided to play it by ear and rested well. Over the weekend I took turns resting and laser-focusing all my remaining energy on preparing for the EASI presentation. During this time, the Tresacare team, my friends and husband rallied for Tresacare. Krystle helped to refine and perfect the marketing as well as my speech, while Chloë put together a tasteful design that looked effortlessly on-brand. My husband Eugene helped me to write and send emails and messages as my vision still hadn't recovered enough for me to read or type. The moral support was invaluable.
On Monday, I felt well enough to attend the finals. Before the presentation, I practised what we preach at Tresacare. I did lots of meditation and breathing exercises before the presentation to calm myself down. Using the techniques from our Stress Management & Emotional Resilience training, I managed to ground myself and got up to the podium to deliver a five-minute speech about the care crisis and Tresacare. Here is a shortened version of our pitch:
Imagine waking up one day, and realising that you or a loved one needs care. Who would you trust? A burnt out, exhausted care worker prone to medication errors and risk of death? Or someone who’s passionate, energised and loves being a care worker. Let me share my story. I used to work in the corporate sector, I was a trader at Morgan Stanley, and then as a HR consultant at Aon. I have a very healthy diet, I exercise three times a week. However, in 2016 my life changed when I started losing vision in my left eye. In 2020 I had a suspected brain tumour, followed by an operation resulting in me needing care. Why am I sharing this? Because we never know when we ourselves, or our loves ones will need care. And guess what: the care sector is in crisis. Every 15 seconds there is a new care request in England. The average waiting list for care is 3 to 5 months. Half a million people are waiting for care and not receiving it. Why? Because there is a severe care worker shortage [...] Care workers tell me that they truly love their jobs, but the job is tremendously difficult, and they need 3 things to help them stay in their roles: 1) Reward & Recognition, 2) Emotional Support, 3) Fun & Wellbeing. This is the Tresacare innovation. We co-produced our solution with care workers and care providers, creating a Workforce Transformation & Wellbeing Support solution [...] One of our care workers, Jane, was on the verge of quitting due to burnout. After Tresacare, she stayed on as a care worker, and is also now a mentor to new recruits. Our pilot programme was a huge success. 100% of care workers reported improved wellbeing. Care providers reported improved quality of care. Our net promoter score is 95%. And only 11% of care workers say they can find a similar solution elsewhere. Our greatest challenge is: How do we scale? To do so, we need technology. Winning this award would be transformative for us. The £10,000 grant would allow us to develop our app prototype – crucial for scaling [...] To conclude, the care sector is in crisis. Tresacare is well-timed and well-placed, and ready to maximise this opportunity. But we need your help. Please vote for us, so that we can scale our solution to reach the 1.5 million care workers. Thank you.
Five minutes went by in a flash. I remember being flustered during the Q&A's, forgetting to answer two of a three-part question, losing track of a fact or figure, and still have a nagging feeling that I didn't prepare enough. Watching from the audience, I admired the presentations of the other finalists, and thought what a better place the world would be with all the social innovation in the room, such as the amazing ideas from Sol Escobar Give Your Best and Dino Bertolis Cycle Saver.
To my delight and disbelief, when the results were announced, we won. The judge Master of the Company of Entrepreneurs Mark Huxley said:
Tresacare is solving what is a national crisis. It’s a real high priority for us. It’s important to sort it out. Anything that Tresacare can put in, that gets us on the right side of that as soon as possible, would be great, for some of the people that are working in the worst working conditions. But also, Tresacare is someone we feel could really benefit from our support. Congratulations!
I'm still overwhelmed from the experience and am very, very grateful for everyone who came together to support Tresacare during this time. In true Tresacare culture, winning the EASI 2024 award simply could not have happened without people who care. Thank you to everyone for believing in Tresacare and for supporting care worker wellbeing – an essential step towards closing the UK care gap.
We are incredibly grateful to the Company of Entrepreneurs, especially Judy Hadden, who created the Entrepreneurs Award for Social Innovation three years ago during the lockdown. Thank you for being so welcoming and supportive. I’m also delighted to work with my mentor, Andrew Pullman.
The £10,000 grant will be truly transformative for Tresacare, and we’re excited to see what the next 12 months will bring! This investment is crucial for scaling our impact. We’re eager to develop an app prototype, harnessing technology to extend our wellbeing solutions to even more care workers. This significant step will not only elevate Tresacare but also create lasting benefits for the entire care sector. Together, we can make a profound difference and ensure care workers are supported, empowered, and equipped to deliver exceptional care.
We're currently in the midst of user research, and would love to have conversations and focus groups with care workers, care providers and local authorities. If this is you, and you're interested in co-designing the Tresacare care worker wellbeing app with us, please email hello@tresacare.com!
Photo Credits: Pauliina Roots Photography
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