Business
In 2019, Tobi Ali Usman launched his podcast, Tea with Tobi. As founder of his own online marketing agency, Smooth Digital, Tobi decided to share his knowledge and passion for marketing and business insight, and he also wanted to spotlight and build the UK care sector - which he saw lacking funding, support, and direction. The show aimed to help care homes, and home care professionals, provide the best care. For Tobi, having these practical minded conversations was key to pushing the sector forward. The show was a huge success for Tobi personally, Smooth Digital. Then Covid happened. In no other UK sector has the decimation of the pandemic been more severe than in the homecare and care-home industry. With over 20,000 covid-19 related deaths from residents, and dozens of staff deceased, Tobi was dismayed at the lack of support and felt moved to shift the paradigm of the series. Season 4 will instead focus solely on the impact of the pandemic in context to the care industry. Listeners will get first hand accounts on the timeline of 2020 through carers, academics, CEOs, industry leaders, and analysts. We will learn how government guidance unravelled, hear the personal stories of heartbreaking loss, and explore how staff stood together in solidarity and compassion for who they cared for. The series will highlight why the sector was damaged so badly, what needs to be done going forward, and where the industry will be in 2021 and beyond.