Beginnings of Bluebird Care Derbyshire Dales & Amber Valley
Susan and Philip King set up Bluebird Care Derbyshire Dales & Amber Valley in 2013. They have both come naturally to care; Philip having grown up with 3 of his grandparents living with the family at some time, and Susan looking after the older generation in her family, with Philip, when the ‘middle generation’ moved abroad.
We have also been respite carers in our own home, looking after two children, from different families, who were on the autistic spectrum and who both had totally different needs. We decided to start our own care service having experienced variable service when we sought care for four of our relatives - from hourly care, live-in care and residential care - over a period of 20 years, and we feel that we can use that experience to make a positive difference to people’s experience of care, which we have learned to call support. When needed, we found private homecare services to be invisible, good care difficult to obtain, the standard inconsistent, and the person requiring the care was not always treated with the respect and dignity they deserved. We knew we could improve on that! We started Bluebird Care Derbyshire Dales & Amber Valley on the high street in our local area to deliver excellent quality care to our community, allowing people who choose to use our service to live as contented and as independent a life as possible. It is a privilege to be part of people’s lives and very rewarding when we experience the positive reactions to our care from customers and their families. We are proud that Bluebird Care is a familiar part of the community and our service is called upon in an everyday way. An unexpected pleasure has been our role as employers: we are proud of our staff, who are a well-trained and happy team and we are pleased to offer opportunities to work in a company where staff are valued and care standards are excellent.
