Parklands boss Ron Taylor: showing a duty of care in Moray
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When Ron Taylor was aged just 21-years-old he found himself caring for his much-loved grandpa, a veteran of the First World War.
All these years later and Ron is the managing director of Parklands, which has 11 care homes across the north east and plans to soon open a twelfth in Elgin.
With over 750 staff, he’s now one of the region’s biggest employers.
However, that formative experience of looking after an elderly member of his own family still guides him.
Ron says: “I want folk to sleep well at night, knowing their loved ones are being properly cared for and are safe.”
‘An Audience with Ron Taylor’, which was staged by Moray Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday evening, saw him speaking eloquently and honestly about both the joys and challenges of running a care home.
He recalled opening Parkland’s first facility during 1993 in Buckie, his hometown, with the help of a local GP surgery.
Seven years later, and at a stroke, the company then effectively quadrupled in size when it took over three more from Moray Council.
It has continued to grow steadily ever since, stepping into the breach last May to take over Wakefield House in Cullen and Weston View in Keith when they were threatened with closure.
But Ron puts down much of Parklands’ success to retaining its family ethos and its close ties to the communities it serves.
The company, he says, pays better wages than normal and has a policy of not employing agency staff.
As a result, more than half of the staff have been with them for a decade or longer.
Ron says: “We work hard to find the right type of people.
“Caring is a vocation and it’s not for everyone. But the ones who can do it, do it very well.
“In fact, I’m humbled by the people we have with us because they make me look good.
He adds: “Everyone is lucky enough to be young. Not everyone gets the chance to be old.
“Many of our residents get a new lease of life when they join us. They make new friends.
“Working in care is the opportunity to look after those who are no ill but are old.”
‘An Evening with Ron Taylor’ was the last of the current series of events at which prominent local businesspeople talk and answer questions about their working lives.
It was organised by Moray Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Highland News & Media, the parent company of the Northern Scot.
Eleanor Bradford of SPEY Media hosted the event.
