LIC Faqs sheet

Welcome to

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

Our Values QUALITY Quality is the hallmark of everything we do. We will not compromise quality and will continue to improve our standards

PASSION All our work is done in an enthusiastic and energetic manner. Our customers know that we care for them

INTEGRITY As a care provider, honesty and trust are the foundation of building great relationships.

We will in no way compromise the integrity of the work we do

PROFESSIONAL We will always appear professional in our work and communication

CARING Empathy, support and listening to our customers’ needs will always ensure that we deliver a service which is valued and exceeds our customers’ expectations

RELIABILITY Time keeping and execution of our work is critical. It is important that as a care provider we are seen to be reliable in delivering the services to our customer

EXCELLENT Excellence is our benchmark

RESPECT We will always respect our customers and staff

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

Steps to a winning team

1 3 5

Strong Leadership Inspiring and guiding a team towards a shared vision with effective communication

Rules of the Game These rules define the parameters, expectations, acceptable conduct and a common understanding among participants

Support Risk Taking Involves creating an environment that encourages innovation, learning from failure

2 4 6

Common Goal A common goal is a shared objective or target that individuals or groups collectively work towards

Action Plan

Is a detailed and organised strategy outlining the specific steps, tasks, and activities needed to achieve a particular goal or objective

Inclusion and involvement Ensuring every individual, regardless of differences, is welcomed and valued

Qualities of a strong team

Features of an unsuccessful team

Accountability

Negativity

Responsibility

Blame

Teamwork

Denial

Positivity

Excuse

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

FAQ’S For New Care Assistants During your first few weeks with Bluebird Care there will be a lot to absorb and learn. As much as we are a caring company and work efficiently, occasionally we may forget to tell you something, for example how to book your holiday. We thought we would try and put together an FAQ sheet for you to help you settle into your role as quickly as possible!

Carer profile We require you to complete a carer profile about yourself. This information will be used to show potential customers information about you before you meet.

In most situations, we like to introduce you to the customer before you start in the care package, so that you both get to meet each other and feel comfortable when beginning work.

Uniform Live in carers are not required to wear the standard Bluebird Care tunic. Live in Carers should wear comfortable clothing which enables them to complete the required roles within the home. If they are going out with the customer, they must be smart and presentable. When in the community, staff are to dress appropriately and wear their ID badge.

Where do I get my PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)?

All Live-in carers are required to wear gloves and aprons for daily living activities, these will be brought to the customer’s home but you must give the office plenty of notice to be able to deliver supplies.

Is there any staff training that I will be required to attend?

As a Live-in Care Assistant at Bluebird Care you will be required to attend additional training and meetings. Please see the list below Paid meetings/training - Induction training, supervisions, carers meetings, probation meetings, additional training, training refreshers.

Unpaid meetings - Absence from work meetings

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

How do I book my holiday?

If you would like to book your annual leave, you will need to book this through our annual leave link, this will be sent/shown to you at your shadow meeting. There are a few rules around annual leave which are the following: We require 3 months’ notice for annual leave requests. (This does not guarantee this will be authorised).

Please do not book a holiday before your annual leave has been authorised.

Plan your annual leave to save you any disappointment.

Annual leave entitlement starts on 1st April and ends on 31st March. The total number of holiday days you will receive is based on your availability. The amount you are paid when you take your annual leave is based on the amount of work you have done in the 3 months before your annual leave.

When you request annual leave, it is not guaranteed, the coordinator must authorize your annual leave request, please do not book flights etc, until the coordinator has approved the dates requested.

Please note we ask for 1 week to be taken every 3 months.

I mentioned pre-booked holiday in my interview – how do I confirm these dates for annual leave?

They will be pre-booked on our system. When you were offered the position with Bluebird Care, you will be given a Job acceptance letter to sign and return to the office, on the letter it will ask you if you have any pre-booked holiday which you will need to complete. Annual Leave is accrued so depending on how long you have worked with us, will depend on how many annual leave days will be paid or unpaid, we will confirm this with you.

If there is an emergency and I have to go home during the day unexpectedly what do I have to do?

If this does happen and you had an emergency whilst you are working, then you must call your line Manager for the area you work. Your line manager will do all they can to support you and your situation. Depending on the situation will depend on the next step. You will not be paid from the time you finish work.

Reporting It is a requirement of all care workers that they report to the office any changes to the customer’s health, medication and care needs. You must not wait until the live in care manager visits or at a handover to advise of this information.

If you need to report any concerns make sure to call the office or out of office hours phone immediately.

The office and on-call phone numbers are located on the front sheet of the care plan folder.

You might be required to complete an incident/accident form depending on the situation.

I have a query with my pay, who do I contact?

Contact your line manager in the first instance and they will forward your query to payroll department. If the payroll department need to contact, you then they will call you. You work hard, you deserve to be paid correctly, on time, every time.

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

How do I receive my payslip?

You will receive your payslips via email, you will receive two parts: The first part is the customer care calls you have completed will be via email The second part is your actual payslip which you will be able to access through the Bright pay portal. You will receive an email with an invitation, from this you will be able to log in and set your own password.

Any queries regarding your payslip should be emailed to financeberkshire@bluebirdcare.co.uk

How often am I paid?

Bluebird Care will pay you monthly, this is always on the 5th of every month however if the 5th falls on the weekend you will be paid the Friday before. The pay dates will be included in the job offer email after the interview stage. You will need to be mindful of your start date compared to our pay cut off dates. For Example - If our pay cut of date was Sunday 20th April and you started work on Monday 16th April, you would receive a week’s wage on 5th May. If you started on 23rd April, you will not be paid until the 5th June.

I have a query with my pay, who do I contact?

Contact your line manager in the first instance and they will forward your query to payroll department. If the payroll department need to contact, you then they will call you. You work hard, you deserve to be paid correctly, on time, every time.

Food Allowance You will be paid £40 food allowance weekly. This is paid directly into your wages each month. Any personal toiletries must be paid for from your own salary.

My DBS has been returned; do I pay for this?

You will be expected to make a contribution towards this which will be £40, Bluebird Care will pay the other amount owing. This will be taken out of your first pay (If earnt over £200) or your second pay. We will need to see the paper copy of your DBS once you have received this. Also, please remember if you intend on registering with the update service, this will need to be done within 28 days of receiving your DBS, there is an annual payment of £13. This is such a great service and Bluebird Care really recommend you do this.

Daily breaks All Live in Carers are entitled to a daily break. Carers are allowed a 2 hour break every day, 3 hours if the customers home is in a remote area and the carer needs more time to travel into town.

All breaks will be decided based on the customer needs, family members availability or domiciliary carers availability.

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

I wake up feeling like I can not work, who do I call and at what time?

We will always support genuine sickness and we understand people get sick. If you feel you really can’t manage your shift, you will need to give as much notice as possible. We do not accept sickness via TEXT or EMAIL. You will then have an absence review meeting on your return to work. We really do ask from all our staff reliability, so please ask yourself a few questions before calling in sick.

Am I really too poorly?

Can I support my customer today?

Please refer to you’re On-Call do’s and don’ts

Time off Carers must give a work pattern that they can commit too. We prefer carers not to work longer than 5 weeks in a high dependency care package as this can be very draining on the carer.

Although, if the customer has low care needs then it can be suitable for the carer to work longer continuous periods.

For example: High needs – 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off Low needs – 6 weeks on, 1 week off The maximum weeks you can work in a row is 8 weeks on and then you will be required to have a break.

How do I change my availability?

Adding to or reducing your availability has an impact on our customers. Therefore, we ask that when you change your availability that you give us 4 weeks’ notice. You will need to request this via your care coordinator, a meeting will be arranged to discuss your needs and circumstances. Every situation is different and each one will be dealt with accordingly.

Handover Handovers take place usually on a Wednesday between 12-2pm. You are required to be ready to pass on all necessary information to the next carer and show them where the essential equipment is kept such as gloves, medication and customers personal belongings.

If you are booking flights for a planned break, these need to be booked for late in the day or the following day. Staff must stay until the handover has been completed

If I have a doctor’s appointment, or something similar, and I need to come in later, or leave earlier what do I have to do?

Bluebird Care do ask that when making appointments, please try and book them outside of your confirmed availability with us however we do understand that this isn’t always possible. You need to let your line manager know as soon as possible and they will support you as much as possible.

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

Are people allowed to use their mobile phones in a customer’s home?

Everyone has a life. But you’re here to work. Please refer to our mobile phone policy.

If I have a problem, am I limited to only discussing it with my line manager?

We have worked hard to build an open-door culture, so you are entitled to talk to whoever you feel comfortable with.

You may wish to talk to the person who interviewed you, trained you, worked with you in the community or someone from the leadership team. You are not limited to speaking to your line manager only. We are all a friendly bunch.

How do I find out how I am getting on?

Bluebird Care have a 12-week induction plan for you, this has helped many Care Assistants because you have regular contact with your office team, regular feedback, opportunities to express how you are feeling.

Once your 12 weeks is up you will have a supervision every month, this might be a face to face supervision, a telephone supervision, a spot check or a rounds meeting.

How do I find out about passing my probation?

Passing your probation is a big accomplishment and we like to help you celebrate this. You will be invited to meet your line manager, and this will be your probation meeting. At this meeting you will gain further feedback, discuss how the last 6 months have been, discuss your plans and where you see yourself in 12-24 months’ time. If you have had sickness or poor reliability your probation may be extended.

A customer has asked me to do something that isn’t in the care plan.

What do I do?

If this happens, and it is likely it will happen, please remember your training. It is only natural for us as human beings we want to help; however, remember you could be putting yourself and customer at risk. If a customer asks you to do the hoovering, then just explain you will need to call the office first as it is not in the care plan. This is because the hoover may not have been risk assessed and we have not been made aware of any potential risks to you or the customer. We can make changes very quickly to customers care plans, the most important thing to remember is call the office first. You can also use our customer care plan changes link to inform us of anything that may need to be added to the care plan going forward. This link will be given/shown to you in your shadow meeting.

What kind of contract will I get?

A full permanent contract will be given to you. In your contract will be the daily pay rate we offer as a minimum and maximum. Bluebird Care ask that you commit to you working pattern you have agreed to work. If you wish to discuss this further, then please do ask to speak a team member.

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

What is my notice period?

In your first 6 months you will have to give 4 weeks’ notice, this also applies to Bluebird Care who have to give you 4 weeks’ notice. When you pass your 6 month probation both parties then need to give 6 weeks’ notice.

Transport to work Live-in Carers are responsible to get themselves to work and to pay for their own train or taxi fares.

We will always take a carer to a new customer to introduce you but if you are visiting a regular customer who lives close by to a station, the carer will be asked to make their own way to the customers home.

Carers who drive themselves to a customer’s home will be given 25p per mile from the local train station to the customers home. It is your responsibility to claim this via our mileage link.

Carers must be on time and are accountable for communicating any delays. Carers and office team provide their time to collect live-in care staff from the station and take them to customers homes. It is essential you arrive on time to avoid delays to other staff and customers for that day.

What do I need to do if I require sponsorship?

We will apply for your sponsorship for 2 years, when this expires we will review your performance and confirm if we will be renewing your sponsorship.

What we need from you is your: Current passport BRP card View and Prove code ILETS certificate Police clearance This must be provided to us before your start date.

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

Bluebird Care Emergency Process Bluebird Care operate an Out of Hours service from 6am to 8.30am and 5pm to 10pm weekdays and Friday 5pm to Monday 8.30am Including bank holidays.

In an EMERGENCY please call the following numbers 07912 209 651 (Reading out of hours) 07702 965 736 (Maidenhead out of hours) Below are the reasons why you should or shouldn’t call the Emergency on call.

When do I call 999? ·If a customer has fallen, unconscious, unresponsive, having a seizure, breathing difficulties, chest pains, choking or any life-threatening condition than you will have to call 999 ·If there is a fire call 999 – DO NOT ENTER ·If a customer’s house appears to be broken into call 999- DO NOT ENTER ·Please call the Emergency Out of Hours once you have called 999 – do not call us first

When do I call the Emergency phone for a customer?

Always call us if there has been a medication error, examples: missed medication, given the wrong medication, missing medication, given medication at the wrong time, if you find any loose medication or if you have any medication concerns.

Always call us if a customer is or seems unwell or if a customer is requesting to see a doctor or nurse, we will then guide you on what steps to take.

Always call if a customer if refusing medication, food, fluids, personal care etc Always call us if you are concerned about a safeguarding issue. It is better to be safe than sorry! Please ensure this is discussed in privacy between yourself and the person on the call. DO NOT put this in your care notes, family members are able to see them.

Always call us if you have a health and safety concern for yourself or the customer

Safeguarding issues, health issues and medication issues need to be reported immediately

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

When do I call the Emergency phone for myself?

Always call us if you are unwell and cannot work and feel unable to work your shift. Please DO NOT TEXT, we do not accept any sickness via text, it is very important that we get as much notice from you.

When should I send a whatsapp message to the group?

If there is a problem with PASS If PASS is not up to date – you may then be asked to call us For none emergency issues – please note these may not get responded to until the next working day If you have any concerns regarding carers conduct, text to request a call back

ONCALL IS NOT TO BE USED FOR THE FOLLOWING Please refrain from texting the on-call phone late at night and early hours in the morning. Please ask your- self what can be done at midnight or 4am in the morning.

Please do not text or call any other numbers after 5pm or before 8.30am other than the number given above. If you call or text a member of staff outside of office hours your request will not be dealt with.

Texting in when you are sick and cannot work Texting or calling in to request annual leave, refer to the annual leave link Calling to discuss any office issues - this is not the time to discuss this Please do not assume the on-call person knows about any of the concerns you have found On-Call is not to be used for a chat line, we do love to chat with you, however not when we are on call

Other Oncall information There is only one person on call.

The Emergency phone is just that, for an Emergency, so please think if your call can wait, can I just send a message or can this wait until the office is open.

Remember if you call and it is not an emergency someone who has an emergency might be trying to get through!

Please be aware at 5pm and 8am the on-call person is driving, and it will be difficult to answer the phone.

The person who is on call could be out working or dealing with an emergency so please be patient if you are waiting for them to reply to your phone call.

Please plan your rota and if you have a new customer and you wish to talk to someone, then call the office during office hours.

Please remember that on-call is managed by the office team and Customer Care Champions. All on-call staff have already worked a full week and it isn’t fair for them who cover on-call to receive calls and texts that can really wait until Monday or the following day.

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell

Contact Numbers During office hours please initially call the office number. If you need to contact anyone in the evenings or at weekends, please call the out of hours number for the area your customer lives.

Please see below the numbers and the names of the office staff who man the out of office service during evenings and weekends.

Maidenhead Office 01628 566 244

Reading Office 01189 863 552

Maidenhead Team Alex Witten - Registered manager Rebecca Underwood - Supervisor Sharon Cleary - Supervisor Cat Ferguson - Coordinator

Reading Team Kerry Brooker – Registered manager Angela McMillan – Supervisor Tina Miles - Coordinator Abigail Raeburn-Ward - Customer Care Champion

Live in Care 01189 863 552 / 01628 566 244 Live in care team Julia George - Line Manager

I have received, read and fully understand all the information above.

Candidate name: ………………………………………..

Signature: …..……………………………………………

Dated:……………………………………………..............

Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Winsdor & Bracknell