Greenway Care Connect

Yes!  All you need to do is telephone us on 07376 067 980 or email greenwaycare@southmead.org

We will then arrange a face-to-face appointment to discuss the service with you and do any paperwork together.

• Because the service is not-for-profit so the money paid by clients goes to the carer with a small percentage to the community.
• It gives both the client and their carer the autonomy to choose how to work and organise their schedules.  This guarantees choice and control.
• Carers receive a thorough screening process which is in place to ensure the safety of clients.
• We give support and advice at the Greenway Centre, Monday – Friday.
• Support plans are personalised ensuring a truly person-centred service.
• With trusted Southmead Development Trust partners we can organise free professional development opportunities for care providers including formal training and peer support.
• It is a system that supports money to stay local.

• Anyone who receives direct payment funding from the local authority.
• Anyone who self-funds their own care.

Self-employed care workers – after they have successfully completed our screening process.

Both care seekers and carers need to register via this link> Coming soon!

Once you have completed the registration form we will review it and contact you to arrange a face-to-face appointment.

If you cannot access the form online you can call us on 07376 067 980 or visit us at the Greenway Centre in Southmead.

1. Face-to-Face interview
2. Verification of identity
3. Verification of training
4. Enhanced DBS check and subscription to the DBS update service
5. 2 experience and/or character references
6. Proof provided of right to work in UK
7. Proof of driving licence and business insurance if necessary
8. Proof of public liability insurance
9. Completed adult safeguard training

After this process care-seekers are invited to interview their potential carers in person so that both can assess if they are a good match.

• During the registration process care-seekers and carers will share their preferred visit schedules with us, either via the online platform or in person.
• Care-seekers and cares with matching schedules, care needs and skills will be able to ask for an introduction.
• Care-seekers will also be able to invite carers to join their support teams via the online platform, or they can ask us to do that on their behalf.
• Care-seekers can have one or more carer, depending on care needs and preference.
• Once all the introduction steps have been completed, the care-seekers and their carer will be fully in charge of their schedule of work, without any intervention from Greenway Care Connect.

• Carers will share their hourly rate with potential clients via the online platform or through us.
• Carers may have different rates for different activities (for instance, one rate for personal care and another rate for other activities of daily living).
• Carers may also have different rates for different times of the day and/or bank holidays; fees will be displayed alongside their experience and qualifications on the online platform which we can help you to look at.
• Regular hourly day rates may range from £14.00 to £20.00 depending on the experience of the carer and their qualifications.
• In addition to the carer’s hourly rate, Greenway Care Connect will charge you an introduction and support fee:

Introduction and support fee

The fee is charged at £3.60 per hour for each hour of paid care.

The introduction and support fee pays for:

1. The recruitment and screening process of carers.
2. Induction process for the carers and regular updates on changes to social care regulations.
3. The assessment of the needs of the care-seeker or of a local authority support plan.
4. Continuous face-to-face support for both carers  and care-seekers at the Greenway Centre (from Greenway Care Connect staff or signposting to other services when relevant).
5. The search for and organisation of training opportunities for carers.
6. The organisation of peer support events for carers at the Greenway Centre for the promotion of best practice.
7. Invoicing service to those receiving care and payments to carers.
8. Making referrals for Adult Social Care assessments and reviews
9. Helping clients to apply for grants if available
10. Making benefits enquiries
11. When you request it, helping to find cover if a Carer is on leave and when more/new Carers are required
12. Connecting you to activities in the community and to Occupational Therapy services

Travel costs

Some carers will include expenses in their hourly rate (for example, mileage if they drive their clients), or they might ask for separate payment by providing you with a receipt. You will be able to discuss this with your carer during your interview and it will be recorded in your work agreement with them.

We will invoice care-receivers with the frequency instructed by the carer (weekly, fortnightly or monthly). Care-receivers will be able to:

• pay by bank transfer
• by cheque
• in cash at the Greenway Centre.

Greenway Care Connect will invoice clients for the hours of care delivered by their carers plus the introduction fee (12.5% +VAT per hour for the duration of the contract between the care receiver and their care provider).

Direct payments accepted by carers will endanger their ability to secure further work with Greenway Care Connect.

• Each carer will share with their clients whether they work bank holidays or not.
• Care-seekers will be able to choose whether they want to work with a provider who delivers care on bank holidays or not.
• This can be recorded in work agreements between care providers and their clients.

Care-receivers may ask Greenway Care Connect for a substitute carer if they wish.

It might be that, sometimes, we will not be able to find a substitute carer that meets care-receivers’ needs in the way that their regular carer does, but we will certainly try!

Asking for a new provider with plenty of notice will always increase the chances of finding a right new provider for those who need one.

This needs to be agreed between clients and their carers.

Either way, drivers need to be insured for this activity which means that carers will need to have business car insurance, or care-receivers will need to insure their carers to drive their cars.

If care-receiver and carer are unable to resolve an issue individually or in partnership, they can contact Greenway Care Connect for assistance.

Greenway Care Connect can support both parties to find new matches if a relationship between a carer and client breaks down.

Greenway Care Connect will always be open to receiving feedback from its clients and carer partners.

The CQC does not require introductory agencies or independent carers to register.

Therefore, neither Greenway Care Connect nor the independent carers will be registered with the CQC.

However, the Greenway Care Connect recruitment and induction processes, plus the training opportunities made available by the agency, are based on the relevant CQC fundamental standards:

• Person-centred care
• Dignity and respect
• Consent
• Safety
• Safeguarding from abuse
• Good nutrition
• Complaint opportunities
• Good governance
• Appropriate staffing
• Duty of candour
• Display of any ratings or reviews