Piecing together the Jigsaw of Care

Every day, our Care Co-ordinators piece together the care packages for our customers, meeting their individual needs and ensuring that our Care Assistants deliver excellent home care.

We talk a lot about our fantastic Care Assistants, responsible for delivering the excellent care we’re so passionate about here at Bluebird Care Wandsworth – and rightly so. What we don’t always talk about are our amazing Care Coordination Team, dedicated to making sure we meet our customers’ needs by understanding what those needs are, and matching customer with Care Assistant.

So what is the role of the Care Coordinator?
The role of the Coordinators is absolutely central to the success of our homecare business – you could say they are the heart of the business, keeping in constant touch with our customers and their families, and with the Care Assistants who are involved in their care.

Being a Coordinator is all about putting together the jigsaw of customers’ needs and personality with the availability and personality of our Care Assistants. This is a vital aspect of the services that we deliver. By fully appreciating and understanding the needs of a customer, we can draw up a tailored care package that meets those needs. With that in place, the Coordinator then uses their experience and knowledge of our team of Care Assistants to put customer and Care Assistant together.

Great communication with Customers and Care Assistants
Once that relationship is established, the Coordinator is then responsible for making sure that the Care Assistant knows where they are going and at what time and will constantly communicate with customers and Care Assistants alike. They are supported through technology such as the PASSsystem and will follow up with Care Assistants or Customers and their relatives if there is a problem noted by the Care Assistant, or something has not happened as it should.

The role of Coordinator is not just confined to checking up on the mechanics of the care services we deliver.  Being a Coordinator requires that you are a people person and that you are an excellent communicator. One minute they will be allocating work to a Care Assistant, the next they could be playing agony aunt, shoulder to cry on, advocate and diplomat – in any number of situations.

Meet Aurelia and Dona
Our Care Coordinators are Aurelia and Dona. Aurelia has been with Bluebird Care for about 1 year and 9 months. Dona has been with Bluebird Care for 3 years. Between them, they have over 20 years’ experience as Care Coordinators and more than double this working in different roles in the care sector, including experience as Care Assistants, Team Leaders and Supervisors.

Here at the Bluebird Care Wandsworth office we have a joke that Aurelia and Dona are always tied to their desks because 85% of the time, the phone calls that come in – from customers, their relatives or Care Assistants – is usually for them or requires them to take an action. Not only that but they have such fantastic in depth knowledge of the customers and Care Assistants that they invariably know the answer or know just what to do about each phone call.

‘Care Coordinators are a particular sort of people and for us, the unsung hero that deserves respect. They genuinely care about the Care Assistants and Customers whom they build relationships with. Not only that but they have a genuine care for customers they have never met with and this shines through!  Dona and Aurelia understand because they’ve operated at every level. When they speak to Care Assistants they are doing it from a place of experience and understanding. Continuity for customers and continuity for care assistants, they have to make it all work.”
Karina (Bluebird Care Wandsworth Owner)

Find out more about Dona & Aurelia in our interview with them – and if you would like to find out more about joining the Bluebird Care Wandsworth team, talk to our recruitment manager, Alice