The care onboarding process with Betty Parra

Melanie:

Welcome to the Family Carer podcast, where we help mums, dads, aunts, uncles, daughters, sons, friends, anyone who's caring for a family member or loved one to feel supported in their role and connected to their community. This week I'm joined by Betty Parra who's the manager at Bluebird Care Bournemouth and Poole. Betty oversees the day-to-day delivery of domiciliary and living care across Bournemouth and Poole. She leads the team of office support team members and also all of our care experts who are out in the community delivering the service. She's in a prime position to be able to give us an insight for our listeners as to what to expect around domiciliary care. So today we're going to explore the initial journey from when somebody might pick up the phone and make contact with us to when we might then start delivering the service. So if you're unsure about domiciliary care If you don't really understand what the process looks like, if you'd like to learn more about it, then this episode's for you. I'm Melanie Cohen. Stay with us.

Hi Betty, how are you doing today?

Betty:

Hi Mel, I'm really good, thank you.

Melanie:

Good, thank you for joining us, thanks for taking time out of your day to spend some time with us talking about what people might expect and demystifying the whole process because I think it can sometimes be a little overwhelming. Maybe we can start, for anybody that doesn't know you, maybe you can just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your role.

Betty:

Yeah, of course. So I've been working with Bluebird Care for almost five years already. I support customers mainly. I support the whole team. I support the office team, the care team, make sure that everyone is safe, especially the customers. that they are happy with our services, that the carers enjoy what they do as well, and just to make sure that we give an excellent quality care for the customers and an excellent experience for everyone who is in contact with us. So that's my main priority. That's what I try to do every day at work, mainly.

Melanie:

Amazing. Thank you for that insight.

Betty: 

No problem.

Melanie:

All the behind-the-scenes stuff that people don't realize happens, but is really important and underpins the overall service that the customer ultimately receives.

Betty:

Yeah, definitely. That's a short summary of what I do.

Melanie:

Amazing. Well, thank you for that insight. Today, I'd really like to start by Well, starting at the very beginning. So if somebody is looking into having home care for a loved one, and we can refer back to a previous episode where we talked about domiciliary care and all of the different elements of that, so we won't go into that again today, but if somebody wants to get the ball rolling and they pick up the phone and they call the office, what's the first step that happens?

Betty:

So normally when people call, it's because they have realized maybe that their family member or even themselves need help to care for that person or after being discharged from hospital or after having surgery or maybe a fall. So it depends the situation that they are on. What we like doing first is listening to that person, getting to know them a little bit better from that initial phone call so we can help them in the best way possible. So during that phone call it would only be about whatever they want to share at that point with us and Obviously making sure that they live in an area that we cover, that's an important thing because we cover Bournemouth and Poole, so before going into too much detail we like to make sure that we can actually support that person.

Melanie:

And what if they live outside of Bournemouth and Poole, is there anything that you can do to help them at that point?

Betty:

Yeah, yes, definitely. So we always try to help them in any way that we can. So if they live in a different territory, we would recommend another Bluebird Care office. So we give them the number, we give them some of the details and direct them to them. Yeah, but if they are in the area that we cover, we will just listen to them first. And what we do is we offer a face-to-face chat, something very informal, no commitments. Because for me, it's very different when you are on a telephone conversation rather than face-to-face. I think it has a very different feeling. So for me, it's more important to get to know that person, the customer, or whoever is calling, face-to-face. And for them as well to have the opportunity to get to know the people that would be caring for that person. So we offer that face-to-face chat. If they want to go ahead with it, it would be me going or it would be one of our customer support supervisors going as well. So it depends.

Melanie:

And how quickly would that normally happen? Because I think that's a question that often comes up, isn't it? People may be looking for some help and support and they might want it to start really quickly. So is it something that can happen quickly or is there normally a sort of time frame that people should be aware of?

Betty:

Not really, actually. We try to be very flexible. We try to work with what that person needs. So we have done assessments on that same day because they are in a very critical point where they have no one else and they need urgent care. So we do the assessments. Basically, sometimes that same day, we work on the care plan that same afternoon, that same evening, if it's necessary sometimes. And we even put the care package in place in one, two days max. So it really depends on what that person needs.

Melanie:

Okay, so let's just rewind. So if I was calling the office because I needed some help, some care for my mum, let's say, the first step would be to have that conversation over the phone so you could understand a little bit more about the situation that we were in, what my mum needs. And then you would offer to come out and have a chat with me, with my mom, with both of us.

Betty:

Yeah, it's that person's preference. So we normally encourage family members to be there. I think it's very beneficial. Obviously, it depends on who is the person inquiring for the services. But we do encourage next of kin or the person more involved in that support or in the support for that person to be present during the assessment. To get to know us, to ask questions as well. Sometimes people have never had care before. This is the first time they're going through this process. So I always encourage them to have people with them, because maybe I will not think about asking some questions, but my daughter would, or my mother would. So we try to do that, to invite other people.

Melanie:

Okay, so we have that initial chat. It's informal and you learn more about what we need and we can ask you questions about the service and what that might look like and then decide whether it's going to be the right fit for us. So if we decide that we do want to continue and that we would like you to provide care, what's the next step after that initial informal chat?

Betty:

So, it would be decided sometimes during that meeting. If the family member of the customer needs the help as soon as possible, we can offer to do the assessment right away, in that same moment, during that meeting.

Melanie:

Can you tell us a bit more about what an assessment is? It sounds quite, maybe a little bit scary, but a bit like a test. Yeah, can you kind of tell us what an assessment looks like?

Betty:

Yeah, it's basically getting to know that person again, but more from... care perspective, just to gather all the information we need to make a very good care plan for that person. So it's, one, it is assessing their needs, it's assessing their mobility, how their mobility is, if they need any kind of equipment, any other medical conditions that they may have. So that's from the kind of like clinical side, but also is, knowing that person, knowing what that person likes, what they don't like, what is important to them, what does the, what their normal routine normally looks like, how they like their tea, what they like to have for breakfast, all these little details that we pay so much attention to. So that's basically assessment. It's just the person telling us what they are expecting from their carers, telling us what is their priorities. So people can be reassured it's not a test of any sort. No, it's not. Definitely not. No, we try to do it very, very informal. I just like having a chat with that person. really getting to know that person. Because all the information that I gather in that meeting or face-to-face or assessment, whatever you want to call it. is the information that I will use to put on the care plan, to write everything, very detailed, because this is the information that the carers will get to see.

Melanie:

If you can explain the term care plan, what is a care plan?

Betty:

A care plan is all the information that we gather from the customer from different perspectives, depending on what we will be doing for that person. writing or getting information about their personal care. What do they like? Do they like shower? Do they want having a wash? Do they like bathing? About their nutrition and hydration. Are we going to support them with preparing meals? Are we going to prepare the meals together? Where do they like to eat? What do they like? Is it important to encourage them to drink, maybe, if they forget? Medication, the mobility, if we're going to take them out to the community, it's like assessing or documenting every side or every area of their lives that is important, that is a care plan. And we use that information for our care team. So the people that will be visiting that customer will get to know that customer very well, even before going in. It will make them feel more familiar with that person.

Melanie:

So it's a framework of communication really to make sure that the care team that are going to be delivering that service are all going to be delivering, meeting the expectations of that customer that were discussed in the initial meeting.

Betty:

Yeah, it's having the documentation and improving that communication from the customer office team and care team. It's getting everything together in one place.

Melanie:

And can families and customers see that care plan? Is that something that can be shared?

Betty:

Yeah, it can be shared with family members, obviously care team, but also other healthcare professionals. So we work very closely with GPs, nurses, OTs, so sometimes obviously with the permission of the customer or the power of attorney. We sometimes share these care plans because it's also beneficial for other healthcare professionals. So we share that. We also have in our system an option where family members can read the care plan, whatever they are, from their phones, tablet, laptop, whatever. Some family members live in Australia, some live in the US, so they can access the care plan anytime they want. They can see the care notes, they can see what the carers are writing about that person. So I think it's giving them a peace of mind that even if they are not in the same place, they will always be up to date.

Melanie:

Involved. A feeling of involvement. Yeah, exactly. Okay, so we've got the initial phone call, we've got the informal face-to-face chat, we've got the assessment, we've got the writing of the care plan. What happens after that point when the service actually commences?

Betty:

So before starting, once we have done the care plan, we decide who the core team members will be for that person. So we decide maybe five care assistants that will be visiting that person. And we keep in mind always, and we follow the customer's preferences. So some customers would only accept female carers, so we would only send female carers. Some other people prefer just male, some people don't really mind. So we try to always go by the preferences and also their healthcare needs. If they have epilepsy, we will send carers who are trained in epilepsy. If they have catheter, if they have stoma, if they have any other kind of complex need, we will send someone who is fully trained. So that's the first thing. Identify who the team members will be for that customer. And then our customer support supervisor will go out to do the first visit. So they do the first visit following the care plan that they wrote. And this is to make sure that the care plan is representing what the carers will actually do during the visit to make sure people know what to expect and the customer receives what they expect as well. So they do that first visit and if it's needed they will do the relevant changes to the care plan to reflect exactly what is expected. And we give the customer, we like giving them a small gift, a welcome pack. We give them a Bluebird Care mug normally. some biscuits. We take a home folder with us as well with some fact sheets that they might find useful also for paramedics maybe if they visit their home they will have information there. And we send an introduction e-letter for the GPs from myself. And yeah just that welcome pack just because we like the customers feel that they are part of our community as well, that we will be there to support them and the family members as well. And then we start. Then they start enjoying their visits with their carers.

Melanie:

Amazing. It sounds like a very simple process, and I think it's really important. I mean, I obviously have insight into this because we work together, but I'm trying to enable us to share that information with people that are coming at this afresh and have no prior experience of home care. So I think it's really important for people to understand that it's not, first of all, when you start that process of making the inquiry, it's not that you're making a commitment. So sometimes exploring your options is a really good place to start. Exploring your options might just be a phone call. It may be a face-to-face meeting to chat in more depth. But if it is something, if you do need urgent support, it can be put in place very quickly. And you and the team are very responsive around that. But there's some quite clear steps there, the phone call, the face to face, which can then lead into a separate meeting to do the assessment in order to write the care plan. But it can also be done at the same time if there are time pressures there. And then that communication piece around ensuring that the first visit delivers, meets the expectations that were outlined in that initial meeting. and can be communicated appropriately to the core care team that are going to be delivering the service. So it's quite a succinct process. And I think to allow people to understand that actually it's not just a meeting that you're going to have with the person that's going to receive the care and you're going to make your own judgments, decisions and plans around that. It involves or can involve, you know, family, next of kin, friends, whoever that that person feels they need around them in order to get what they need to express themselves in the right way or to ask the questions on their behalf. And I know from experience that one of the core values of our organization is to be open and transparent and for the communication to remain that way.

Betty:

I think that's one of the most important things. I speak for myself, but I'm sure that the whole team is the same. Our main goal is to help people. That's what we do what we do. is not to bring customers to our organization. It's not that. The whole point here is to help customers, to help people in general, family members. So from that initial phone call, what I like is letting that person know that there are options. that there are options, they are not alone even if it's an emergency, there are different options because sometimes they are in a crisis and it's very difficult to make these kind of decisions at that moment in crisis. So what I like is getting, letting them know that there are different options either with ourselves or with someone else and during that face-to-face as well, giving them the opportunity to know what care is, to know what to expect, and to also know what kind of questions to ask if they go to a different place, you know, to know what is important to ask for a care company or for a care organization in general. So I think that's the most important part. And about the process that we follow, Like I say, the whole point here is the customer. That's the main, that's a priority. So it's just making the whole process very smooth, very flexible, very informal, and just go with what they need. And also, we visit them in hospitals for the face-to-face chat, if that's where they are. We visit them in hospitals. We visit them in care homes. or even if it's not in Bournemouth and Poole, sometimes we travel to wherever they are to do these meetings. So it's for me getting or letting everyone who's listening know that the process doesn't have to be complicated. We will make it as smooth and easy as possible to make it accessible for everyone. So, yeah.

Melanie:

Okay, well I think we're running out of time but we've covered the basics there and I think if anybody's got any questions then they can always reach out to you or any member of the team and we'll make sure that we link up in the show notes any information that is going to be relevant for people so as they can contact you if they need to and they've got any questions. But I think for now let's stop. Let's just stop, yeah. Thank you for listening to the Family Carer podcast and thank you again to Betty for joining us today and helping everybody understand the process around domiciliary care and how you put that in place. You can sign up to our newsletter to find out more about what's going on locally and we'll pop a link in the show notes so that you don't miss out. All right, folks, subscribe. Don't forget to subscribe and share this episode with anybody who you think might benefit from it. Thanks again to Betty.

Betty:

Yeah, thank you for having me. And we'll, yeah, chat again soon.

Melanie:

Yeah. Thank you. Bye.