They say good ideas come from need.

Inspired by the care they received from the Marie Curie hospice in Bradford, Kirsty James and her family decided they wanted to help families care for their loved ones in similar circumstances.

Kirsty, a former NHS dietician, was already familiar with health services, as was her sister Lorna, a nurse.

So when it came to looking after their grandmother, Frances Stokes, they did what comes naturally. After being diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer in the soft tissue of her eye, Frances survived nine years and had the constant support of her daughters, Jan and Deb, her grandchildren and the rest of her family.

Kirsty says her gran had several operations on her eye over the years and also had chemotherapy eye drops.

When their grandfather, George, died suddenly, the siblings took over caring for Frances, whose cancer eventually spread to her brain. She died in 2012.

“When my grandmother was ill she was keen to stay in her own home and we set about looking for a suitable homecare provider,” says Kirsty.

They couldn’t fault the care given, but when they compared it with the help and support they received from the Marie Curie team, they realised the little things made all the difference.

Kirsty’s mum, Jan, who was Frances’s daughter, says: “We noticed with Marie Curie they went the extra mile.”

Jan says home carers often come in and get on with their job and may not have long to sit and chat. The family wanted a service where people have the time to chat as, quite often, the person they are helping to support may not see many people if their families live further afield or work.

“Mum was the most important person in that room at any one time and that has to be at the forefront of their mind,” says Jan, referring to the Marie Curie team.

Inspired by their own experience, and conscious that they could help make a difference to other families, Kirsty explored the idea of setting up a domiciliary care business.

Attentive Care Experts was founded last year and now the business, which provides support to the elderly, people with disabilities and those suffering long-term illnesses affecting their mobility, has expanded out of Kirsty and her husband Nick’s Drighlington home into an office in Birkenshaw. Jan is the company’s office manager.

“It’s about being attentive,” says Kirsty, explaining the name of the business.

She says their 13-year-old son, Bailey, also pointed out the acronym ACE, telling them: “You will be ace!”

Kirsty says they place great importance on staff getting to know the families they work with and finding out about them so they can slot into the family unit.

The move, and the growth of the business, has been made possible by the support the family, and fellow director Kevin Swaine, have received from Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance.

Working in the mental health sector for the NHS, Kevin brings an additional expertise to the family business.

Kirsty says they want their staff – they employ 25 carers to look after clients ranging in age from 32 to 100 throughout Bradford, Kirklees and Leeds – to treat the people they help to care for as if they were their own relations.

“The relationship with a carer is very personal. We design a care plan around a person’s needs and it is constantly updated. We know what service-users want because we have been service-users ourselves,” she says.

The family also take comfort from the fact that their loved one’s legacy is living on.

“It is really rewarding,” says Kirsty. “It doesn’t feel like work; you feel like you are looking after people who become part of your family.”

l For more information call (01274) 653203 or visit attentivecareexperts.co.uk.