Frequently asked questions

When you need continuous care, you may not want the added stress of having to leave familiar surroundings.  Love your garden or your pets? Live-in care means staying at home, surrounded by everything that is important to you, and staying happy.

Live-in care offers the reassurance of 24 hour care** and support in the comfort of your own home. A trained care assistant will live with you in your own home and assist you with every day living.  To learn more about live-in care, please click here.

Live your life the way you want - your home, your care, your way!

Live-in care means that as your needs increase you can remain in your home, whilst still being able to enjoy familiar surroundings within your home, garden and community. 

• A dedicated personal care assistant lives with you for ultimate peace-of-mind
• Bespoke care, tailored for your individual needs that can flex and change as much as you require
• A high standard of support as personal care assistants learn and grow with their customers and can react quickly to changes in behaviour
• Remaining surrounded by your loved ones and beloved pets
• Feeling safe in the home you love in the area you know well.

Our Live-in Care Service is a great alternative to Residential Care.  Here are six things you should know, when you're considering youre options:

1. Working with you

Home care is just what it says - the care you need delivered in your own home in just the way you want it. Being in your own home means you can continue to live your life the way you want to and as flexible as you always have. No strict routines or timetables - just you enjoying your meals, outings or interests when you want to, all with the support of your own care assistant.

2. The right care in your own home

As and when ill-health or lack of independence hits, many feel their only care option is a residential care home. This is often met with resistance, upset, a loss of identity and in some cases, an advancement of age-related health problems. Staying at home removes these anxieties and in fact, can delay early onset dementia as well as speed up recovery after illness. With the right care and support, it is possible to stay at home. You can enjoy that cup of tea served in your favourite china, the log fire burning in the grate, the beloved pet snoozing at your side all with the care you need close at hand.

3. Your very own care team

We will care and support you with the same compassion and attention as your own family, but with the added benefit of our extensive training and expertise. We arrive with a smile, energy and a cheeriness to make you smile too. With one-t0-one care, we quickly understand your personality and are keen to keep your independence and interests going for as long as possible. You and your family can enjoy peace of mind - knowing you’re being supported by a team of trained professionals who are solely there to care for you, in your home.

4. One size never fits all

There are all kinds of services to choose from with Bluebird Care, from full live-in care to simply some help with your shopping. You tell us what you need and we create a care package for you. We appreciate that your needs and wants may change with time and inclination. We’re always here to listen and to flex our services in order to respond to your needs as they change. We always respect you and the lifestyle you choose in the
home you love.

5. Live life as you want to

Receiving care in your own home is an opportunity to continue to experience all that life has to offer. You really can have the best of both worlds with the freedom and sanctuary that your own environment affords and the flexibility of the right care when you need it. In your own home, you can continue to be yourself and maintain
hobbies you might have as well as creating new and enjoyable memories.

6. Friends, family and the community

Home is where you’ve put down your roots and you enjoy your neighbours, your friends, your family and the local community. With home care, you stay firmly in that community with the support, love and friendship that’s so important and maintain that sense of belonging.

Read our FAQs for Live-in Care...

1. What facilities do I need to ensure I have in my home for my personal care assistant to use?

• Own bedroom including a bed, bedding & linen, wardorbe/chest of drawers
• Working kitchen facilities 
• Bathroom facilities 
• TV (preferably in the carers room)
• WIFI (Optional)
• Food allowanc

2. Will my personal care assistant support me 24/7

• Although there will be someone living with you 24/7, our care assistants are expected to work on average, 8 hours per day and they are entitled to a 2 hour break, daily.
• They can be called upon in an emergency, but if this becomes a regular occasion, we can discuss additional support to suit your needs.​

2. How often will my personal care assistant change? Can I keep the same carer at all times?

• You will be matched with a regular care assistant who work on average 3-4 weeks at a time with 1 week off.  Your personal care assistants week off, will be covered by an alternative care assistant.
• We aim to keep the cover care assistants to a minimum to provide you with as much continuity as possible​

3. What happens if I would like to change my personal care assistant?

• We try to match our care assistants and customers as best we can based on shared interests, personalities or experience.
• We remain in regular contact and support you in building relationships and new routines
• Discuss your concerns with us and we can see how we can help
• If after a couple of weeks it's not working, we can swap to alternative care assistant for you.

​What precautions are being taken regarding COVID-19 with new personal care assistants arriving at my home?

We provide the following:

• Daily LFD testing for all care assistants
• COVID-19 checklists to check symptoms, contact with Covid cases, travel, etc.
• Daily temperature checks
• Full PPE – Masks, gloves, aprons, etc
• Infection prevention training for all staff & regularly updated and monitored.

We take a considered and comprehensive approach to ensuring that your care service is exactly what is required. After every visit the care assistant will write the details of activities undertaken during the visit in the care record (which is retained by the customer). In addition, the customer is asked to record their satisfaction by signing the care assistant's timesheet, which is returned to the Bluebird Care office each week for checking. 

Contact Bluebird Care and make an appointment for us to visit you for a chat about how Bluebird Care can work for you. We are happy to visit you at home to discuss ways we can help and then, once you have decided, you simply leave the rest to us!

We will send you a bill once a fortnight. If you wish to pay by standing order (to save you having to remember to write out a cheque) just let us know. Click here for details on how to pay.

We will put together a detailed plan for each customer which, as well as setting out the care to be delivered, also shows the weekly costs. Some people will be entitled to assistance with the cost of their care either from their local Social Services office or via other Government grants.

Learn more about paying for care privately on the NHS website.

Every member of the Bluebird Care team has been through a rigorous vetting procedure before they start working with us. In addition, all staff will always be in uniform and carry a personalised identification card which shows their name, photograph and signature. 

Once we have established exactly what you want on each visit, we will work to that list. We are not able to give injections or change sterile dressings. Also, we cannot carry out tasks which are likely to cause risk to either the person we provide care to or to the Bluebird Care care assistant. Tasks will be agreed with you in advance. Any changes to the plan can be discussed with your local Bluebird Care team.  

To learn more about our care packages and options, download a copy of our brochure.