Bluebird Care Coleraine attend Self Directed Support Carers Awareness Day

On Wednesday 18th January Bluebird Care Coleraine attended the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) Self Directed Support Carers Awareness Day.

On Wednesday 18^th January our care coordinator John Fox attended the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) Self Directed Support Carers Awareness Day in wellington Church, Ballymena. 

The Northern Health Trust, in partnership with the Social Care Board, is introducing a new way of delivering social care services called Self Directed Support.

Self Directed Support is a pathway towards person-centred care to enable and encourage individuals to have more choice and control in how their care and support is provided.  Self Directed Support promotes independent living by allowing people more choice, control, and flexibility over their own care.

Self Directed Support allocates the individual a ‘personal budget’ which they can spend on their care and support needs.  A personal budget will be determined through an assessment by the individual’s keyworker, and a support plan will also be put in place to map the outcomes/goals that are to be achieved.  

John was asked to represent Bluebird Care Coleraine as we were the first company in the area to facilitate customer care packages through the Self Directed Support. John spoke to health professionals and service users about our experience of Self Directed Support to date, touching on the benefits and practicalities of Self Directed Support for service users and ourselves as the provider.

Other speakers at the event included: Paula Hanna, NHSCT Self Directed Support Implementation Lead; Martha McWilliams, Centre of Independent Living; and Helen Saunderson, Support Planning.     

Sue MacLaughlin, Director of Bluebird Care Coleraine, said: