A Bury care company owner has been commended in the House of Lords for her work.

Roxie Taj, who co-owns Visiting Angels, was celebrated as a Woman Achieving Greatness (WAG) in Social Care.

This recognition came from the House of Lords for her dedication and commitment to her work in the care industry.

She was saluted by Liberal Democrat Baron Palmer, of Childs Hills, the party’s spokesperson on pensions.

The WAG title is part of a scheme by Care Talk magazine, which honours good practice within the female-dominated social care workforce, of which more than 85 percent are women.

The judges and Baron Palmer were impressed by Visiting Angels’ approach to caring for people with conditions such as dementia and Roxie’s leadership.

She leads the only caring company in Britain to offer employees a guaranteed annual pay rise.

Ms Taj, who runs the company with her husband Badar, said: "Baron Palmer was so down-to-earth and interested in what we were doing and the state of care in Greater Manchester.

"The day also gave me the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people working in the care sector.

"I will be looking to apply some of the ideas we talked about here in Bury, and you may find Visiting Angels’ philosophy being adopted elsewhere."

Research by the Alzheimer’s Society has found that just three in 10 families caring for those with dementia found it easy to access social care.

Fewer than 40 per cent found this support satisfactory when they finally received it, and more than half of carers were suffering from mental health issues due to the pressure of looking after loved ones, largely by themselves.

Ms Taj said: "This is a situation we are not prepared to put up with and it has been caused by a huge increase in need, a lack of resources for local authorities and poor pay and conditions for carers."

Visiting Angels offers a career plan to all staff, from work placements to experienced social carers.

Staff are personally selected and matched with someone with whom they can build a close relationship.

Ms Taj hopes to be a role model for other female bosses.

She said: "I know celebrities always say it, but this honour is genuinely about the team and not just one individual.

"I do realise that things are getting better, with 40 per cent of leading business boardrooms now containing women and if I can play a part in inspiring them, particularly when they are from the Asian community, to break the glass ceiling then that is a bonus, too.

"But Visiting Angels is first and foremost about its carers and the people they serve.

"We are together in that - and there’s no WAG fighting with handbags anywhere."