Welcome to Greenway Care Connect. We are a carer introduction agency overseen by the Southmead Development Trust, with our headquarters at the Greenway Centre.
Using the online platform Local Care for Local People we introduce care workers and those seeking care and support at home.
Our purpose is to alleviate the social care crisis in the North and West of Bristol. We will strive to support good carer workers to return to or stay in the care sector, as well as attracting new staff to the industry by offering greater choice and control over working outcomes, schedules and pay.
The Purpose
Our agency connects independent care workers to people looking for care and support in the community. Working in partnership, carer workers and care-seekers decide on outcomes and ways of working without interference from the agency.
To ensure safety, however, we do check the identities of those seeking care and screen carer workers who want to join the service.
We will support care-seekers to build a person-centred plan with their care workers and provide care workers with free training opportunities, peer support groups and events, plus billing and payment services.
The Reason
We want to increase choice and control for those who need care and support in North and West Bristol.
We also seek to: open up new, well-paid local employment opportunities for residents; support existing care workers to remain in the care sector; and to bring good and reliable new workers to the industry.
We hope to use any revenue produced by the agency to fund Southmead Development Trust’s Neighbours Connect Southmead project where volunteers support residents to stay connected to their communities.
We recognise that community organisations like ours have a key role to play to tackle some of our biggest social problems of the day – whether that is climate change, the housing crisis, social isolation and the related social care crisis.
The Aim
Care-receivers have mealtimes, personal care, and bedtimes to suit them – not dictated by care agency shift times or capacity to meet needs.
Care workers receive more than the minimum wage for work that requires great skill and accountability.
Care-receivers and care workers are introduced to each other and decide if they want to work together
Our registered carer workers see disability as another characteristic of human culture and as not a problem.
Care-receivers can take part in social activities and not be excluded due to their carer worker’s time constraints.
Care workers feel supported by us and their peers.
Care workers are supported to be passionate about their role and their worth.
More about Greenway Care Connect
Can I use the service if I do not use the internet?
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.
Why is Greenway Care Connect better than other care providers?
- Because the service is not-for-profit, so the money paid by care-receivers goes to the care worker with a small percentage for us to support you to handle payments.
- It gives both the care-receiver and their care worker the autonomy to choose how to work and organise their schedules. This guarantees choice and control.
- Care workers receive a thorough screening process which is in place to ensure the safety of care-receivers.
- 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 workers including formal training and peer support.
- It is a system that supports money to stay local.
Who can seek care via Greenway Care Connect?
- Anyone who receives direct payment funding from the local authority.
- Anyone who self-funds their own care.
Who can provide care via Greenway Care Connect?
Self-employed care workers – after they have successfully completed our screening process.
How do I sign up to the service?
Both care seekers and care workers need to register via this link> HERE
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.
How does the screening process for care providers work?
- Face-to-Face interview
- Verification of identity
- Verification of training
- Enhanced DBS check and subscription to the DBS update service
- 2 experience and/or character references
- Proof provided of right to work in UK
- Proof of driving licence and business insurance if necessary
- Proof of public liability insurance
- Completed adult safeguard training
After this process care-seekers are invited to interview their potential care workers in person so that both can assess if they are a good match.
Who arranges visit schedules?
- During the registration process care-seekers and care workers will share their preferred visit schedules with us, either via the online platform or in person.
- Care-seekers and care workers with matching schedules, care needs and skills will be able to ask for an introduction.
- Care-seekers will also be able to invite care workers 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 care worker, depending on care needs and preference.
- Once all the introduction steps have been completed, the care-seekers and their care worker will be fully in charge of their schedule of work, without any intervention from Greenway Care Connect.
How much does the service cost?
- Care workers will share their hourly rate with potential care-receivers via the online platform or through us.
- Care workers may have different rates for different activities (for instance, one rate for personal care and another rate for other activities of daily living).
- Care workers 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 care worker and their qualifications.
- In addition to the care worker’s hourly rate, Greenway Care Connect will charge you a payment support fee:
Payment support fee
The fee is charged at £3.60 per hour for each hour of paid care.
Travel costs
Some care workers 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 or adding mileage to their invoices. You will be able to discuss this with your care worker during your interview and it will be recorded in your work agreement with them.
Do care-receivers pay their care providers directly?
Care workers will invoice their clients per interaction, weekly or monthly through the Greenway Care Connect platform. Care-receivers will be able to pay online through the platform. If care-receivers have difficulties paying online, we can support to handle payments in other ways.
Invoices received by care-receivers will contain their care workers’ fees and the Greenway Care Connect fee for handling payments. The Greenway Care Connect fee is £3.60 (£3 +VAT) multiplied by the number of hours of care in each invoice.
Direct payments accepted by carers will endanger their ability to secure further work with Greenway Care Connect.
Do care workers work on bank holidays?
- Each care worker will share with their care-receiver whether they work bank holidays or not.
- Care-receivers 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 workers and care-receivers.
Will substitute care workers be provided due to sickness or holiday?
Care-receivers may ask Greenway Care Connect for a substitute care worker if they wish.
It might be that, sometimes, we will not be able to find a substitute care worker who meets care-receivers’ needs in the way that their regular care worker does, but we will certainly try!
Asking for another care worker with plenty of notice will always increase the chances of finding the right care worker for those who need one.
Whose car will be used when driving clients ?
This needs to be agreed between care workers and their care-receivers.
Either way, drivers need to be insured for this activity which means that care workers will need to have business car insurance, or care-receivers will need to insure their care workers to drive their cars.
Who can care-receivers and care workers complain to if they need to?
If care-receiver and care worker are unable to resolve an issue individually or in partnership, they can contact Greenway Care Connect for advice.
Greenway Care Connect can support both parties to find new matches if a relationship between a care worker and care receiver breaks down.
Greenway Care Connect will always be open to receiving feedback about its introductions.
Is Greenway Care Connect a Care Quality Commission registered service?
The CQC does not require introductory agencies or independent care workers to register.
Neither Greenway Care Connect nor the independent care workers will be registered with the CQC, because all choice and control lies with the people receiving care.
However, the Greenway Care Connect recruitment and induction processes, plus the training opportunities made available by the agency, are based on the relevant CQC standards.