Welcome to your September newsletter, summer is coming to an end and we hope you have all enjoyed your well deserved holidays.
This month we focus on fundraising and our partnership with Alzheimer’s Society. We have many posts around this so make sure to share. We have started our meet the team series, getting to know our office staff more.
It is also an opportunity to share your feedback and help shape a better workplace for everyone. We are excited to announce the launch of our new and improved Annual Staff Survey, please take your time in completing this to be in with a chance to win a prize!
Happy Reading!
Welcome to the September edition of our newsletter! As summer draws to a close, we hope you’ve all enjoyed your well-deserved holidays. This month, we’re focusing on fundraising and our partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society. Be sure to check out and share our related posts. We’re also excited to launch our “Meet the Team” series, helping everyone get to know our office staff better.
We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new and improved Annual Staff Survey. This is your chance to share your honest thoughts on everything from job satisfaction to management support and resources. Whether you’ve been with us for years or are new to the team, your feedback is vital to guiding our future improvements. Don’t forget, by completing the survey, you’ll also be in with a chance to win a prize!
A big thank you to all our carers who have received appreciation this month for their exceptional efforts. Providing great care is always important, but going above and beyond is truly something special. Well done to all of you!
Don’t forget our £250 refer-a-friend bonus! If you know anyone who is kind, caring, and would be a great addition to our team, please pass along their details. Together, we can build an even stronger Bluebird Care team.
We’re excited to be participating in the Alzheimer’s Society Pledge Walk, where offices across the North will be taking part in a relay to support this important cause. Our Head Office in Boldon will kick things off, passing the baton to other offices as part of this great initiative.
I’m delighted to share some exciting updates within our leadership team. Annie Bowyer has been promoted to General Manager for South Tyneside, Newcastle, York, and Darlington, while continuing in her role as Finance Manager. Kayleigh has also been promoted to Senior Deputy Manager for Newcastle, South Tyneside, and Darlington. Congratulations to both!
Thank you all for your continued hard work and dedication. Going forward, As General Manager, Ann-Marie will be taking over the monthly updates, while I will provide a formal update at the end of each quarter.
We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and your feedback is essential in shaping a better workplace for everyone. We are excited to announce the launch of our improved Annual Staff Survey.
This survey is your chance to share your honest thoughts on everything from job satisfaction to company culture, management support, and the resources you need to do your best work. Whether you’ve been here for years or are new to the team, your input will help guide the future improvements and enhancements we make at Bluebird Care.
Why Participate?
When & How?
The survey will be available online and you can complete it by following the clicking the button below for your designated area. We will also be following up with a series of emails as a reminder to complete the survey.
It takes only 5 minutes to complete but will make a lasting difference in our workplace.
Engage and Win!
To show our appreciation for your time and input, we will be entering all survey participants into a prize draw! Although we encourage you to leave your name so we can respond to your feedback in a positive manner, you can leave your feedback anonymously. However, you wont be entered into the draw automatically.
If you wish to enter anonymously please leave your initials in the ‘Employee Name’ box and you will need to contact Joe McKenzie (joemckenzie@bluebirdcare.co.uk), once it has been complete so he can add your name to the draw, once confirming he can see you initials.
Your insights are invaluable, and we look forward to hearing from every one of you. Together, we can continue to make Bluebird Care a great place to work!
You can complete Thank you for your continued commitment and support.
A big thank you to all carers who have received appreciation this month for their outstanding efforts. Its one thing providing care but its another going above and beyond, Well Done!
“I carried out an observation on Keith and the care he delivered was exceptional, very person centred and has a great relationship with customer and family”
Kim has received amazing compliment’s from a customer and her family, Mrs. Graham. Kim has been going above and beyond helping Mrs. Graham with her dementia, getting her dominoes and jigsaw puzzles to play with, and as of recently Kim has got Mrs. Graham a paint with numbers.
Going above and beyond always thinking about customers wellbeing and how to better their life is values we follow at Bluebird Care. Thank you Kim!
Do you have a suggestion? Submit it by clicking here.
Can you think of anyone who is kind, caring and compassionate? Can you think of anyone who would like a career in care? Can you think of anyone who would be an asset to our team?
Well, this could be your opportunity to take advantage of our refer a friend programme. If you refer someone into the business and they receive a job offer and successfully pass probation you will receive your £250 refer a friend payment!
Anyone who you think is up to the job can apply via our company website, when they complete the application form it asks if they know anyone who works at Bluebird, this is there time to state this!
We are introducing this new recruitment initiative as a pilot scheme focused on business growth and customer onboarding in South Tyneside. Here’s an overview of the position:
Job Title: Senior Care Assistant
Company: Bluebird Care Newcastle & South Tyneside
Location: South Tyneside
Position Type: Full-time
Schedule: Day shifts between the hours of 07:00 – 22:00
Salary: £25,000 – £27,000 per annum and 0.30p per mile
Customer Onboarding: Serve as the primary support for onboarding new customers, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free care journey.
Relationship Building: Build relationships within our communities, sell our services to new customers, and upsell to current customers.
Marketing Activities: Participate in marketing initiatives, such as 20/20 leaflet campaigns.
Risk Assessments and Audits: Conduct environmental risk assessments at customers’ properties and medication audits to ensure safety.
Given the role’s focus on business growth and customer base expansion and the duties which need to be undertaken, it is a salaried position with a salary range of £25,000 to £27,000, depending on experience, qualifications, and ability to recognise business growth opportunities.
We are a prominent group of care companies based in the North East, committed to providing high-quality care services across our various locations. Our mission is to deliver exceptional care while fostering a positive and inclusive work environment for our staff. As part of our commitment to growth and excellence, we are seeking a highly skilled HR Manager to lead and manage our HR function.
Position Overview:
The HR Manager will be a strategic partner to the senior leadership team, responsible for overseeing all aspects of human resources management within the group. This role requires a deep understanding of UK employment law, particularly the recent changes introduced by the Labour Government, and a proven track record in developing and implementing HR strategies that support business goals.
Do you know anyone working in HR who would excel in tis role, refer them to apply!
On Friday 27th September, we are hosting a Macmillan Coffee morning, to raise money for Macmillan and have a nice break from work to enjoy some sweet treats.
Which will include:
On October 18th and 25th from 6pm we will be holding a staff night out for all office staff and field staff. Be prepared for games, drinks and more!
Taken place at The WonderBar in Newcastle, all office staff and carers will get together for a well deserved night out, with games, socialising and many more fun things to be announced.
Please respond with your attendance below, we would love for you to come along!
If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing it would be this:
‘You will learn more and gain more qualifications once you leave school than you achieved at school, because education does not stop on the day you leave!’
Training and Compliance Manager Rob has been working hard to develop courses of further learning for everyone within the business and we currently have staff enrolled on their Level 3 Award in Education and Training and Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social Care. Level 2 Diplomas in Health and Social Care are still in the pipeline, so look out for further information regarding those.
The training team have spent time streamlining the current training calendar and this is reflected by how new staff are inducted into each of the teams (End of Life, Live-in, Domiciliary and Complex). Inductions will be held every two weeks for Newcastle and South Tyneside and once per month for York. The following week after induction new staff will be invited into the training room to complete further training relevant to their role, (either/and/or) Devolved, Complex, Emergency First Aid at Work or Trachy/Bowel Management.
Each month a Mandatory Training Day has been scheduled to ensure that all existing staff, complete the required yearly training, to remain current and compliant in their role. Your managers will be in touch via email to inform you that you have been booked onto the training and Courtney our Co-Ordinator will add it to your schedule on OTH. Liz our Receptionist/Compliance Administrator will then send out a reminder email one month before the training and again one week before the training, to remind you that you must attend and will include any joining instructions, which will include the times of training and anything you may need to bring with you.
As you will know, as care providers, we need to ensure all our CQC and franchise compliance is met and we provide proof that you all are safe and able to provide the best care in a regulated manner. Liz our Compliance Administrator has been contacting staff to inform them what is required to be updated, whether it is Car Insurance, ELearning, or a Health Declaration for example. If you are not compliant and have not provided the requested documentation to Liz, you will be deemed by both the business and CQC as non-compliant and will be unable to work until such time that you provide the required documentation.
Its important that customers and carers know what goes on in the office and what everyone’s roles is. We have introduced a campaign over time to introduce office staff, their roles and what they do in their role.
Please engage with the content we put out onto social media, its important we help get the word out for Bluebird Care.
Want anything added to the newsletter? Want more social media posts about said topic?
If you believe there is anything that could be improved in terms of marketing or advertising or even if you have ideas on anything to be worked on, contact Erin at erinkilford@bluebirdcare.co.uk
Or anonymously put a suggestion in the box below!
We are taking part in a charity pledge in partnership with Alzheimer Society where other Bluebird Care Offices will take part in a relay, where we will hopefully pass a baton through every office in the North!
Our Head Office in Boldon (Newcastle and South Tyneside) will go from the Bluebird Care office in Boldon to Gateshead to pass to Bluebird Care Gateshead, then passing on the baton to Bluebird Care North Tyneside at the Quayside.
At the weekend, David, Joe and Jordan took part in the Great North Run as well as Abby, Chantelle, Louise and our customer Stephen Foley-Walker.
This is a huge achievement for all, well done!
We have reached our target for how much money to raise, which is amazing and we are still accepting donations. You can donate via the button below.
David’s finish time – 02:12:38
Joes finish time – 01:29:06
Jordans finish time – 01:44:49
As you may know we did a competition of guessing times for David, Joe and Jordan. After working it out the winners are…
Closest combined 1st: Anne Langley (00:18:43)
Closest combined 2nd: Laura Harkness Sanderson (00:24:54)
Closest to David’s time: Victoria Gardner (00:02:22)
Closest to Joe’s time: Elizabeth Roche (00:02:06)
Closest to Jordan’s time: Danielle Rutter, Karolina Polgrabia-Bieryt and Helen Rutter (00:00:11)
This month has seen the arrival of cooler mornings and darker evenings as we move into autumn. Please make sure you have everything you need to stay warm and safe when out and about. You should have your issued fleece and if you feel it would be helpful, you can request a free personal alarm to carry with you. Please remember to activate your smart phones GPS capability for use with your One Touch Health App so that we can see your location when on duty. This will help make sure we can locate you if any emergencies such as a breakdown occur. Carry a torch, water, and phone charger in your vehicle at all times so you can be sure you can act if required.
Notes and Digital Tasks
After our request to see more detail and comments being used, I’d like to acknowledge the show of improvement in these so far! Record keeping is vital in our industry as we must evidence what, how, when, and why you do the things, you do in your visits and calls. Not only does this allow the customers and their families peace of mind (as they know we are regulating the care we provide) but it also keeps you safe if and when a concern or complaint is raised. Keep recording in detail, making sure you give INFORMATIVE, FACTUAL and CONCISE information when you do. Digital tasks should be completed with comments where necessary. We understand that some of you have customers with multiple tasks to close and may be under time pressures to move on to your next call and so are finding it hard to complete every task with a comment. Because of this, we will be reviewing the tasks, how they are used and if all are necessary. Again, once we have reviewed the process, we will let you know how we would like you to carry it out. But THANK YOU for your efforts and improvements so far.
Mental Health First Aid
The mental health of you and your colleagues is important to us and the business as a whole. You may not know but we have trained and competent MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDERS in the business so please, if you feel you would benefit from their support and guidance, please reach out. We are there if needed.
Great North Run
Hopefully you will have seen the social media posts and other comments about the brave team members who battled the 13.1 miles to complete the Great North Run. The stand out participant being our own Stephen Foley Walker and his team of super-carers, Chantelle Stott, Abbey Clouston and Louise Cossar. You are all stars!
Recruitment
The office team are looking to expand and we currently have adverts out for another full time Care Coordinator and a new position for HR Advisor. Both posts will help us better serve you, the customers and the business. We look forward to filling these posts successfully with top grade candidates.
Your voice counts . . . But only if you use it positively…
I know we sound like a broken record but, we do want to hear from you and about your experience as a carer for Bluebird Care. So please, reach out to your managers, trainers or just pop in for a chat and a cuppa and discuss the things important to you. We want to be able to identify the niggles you might experience and fix them if we can. And if we can’t, then at least we can explain to you why and see how we can support you to deal with them.
Overall, we continue to improve, be better regulated and are definitely safer and better at seeing what we do well. It may not always be obvious or feel like that but please be assured, everything you do out in the field with and for the customers and everything the team do in the office and in the background all matter and count towards a better Bluebird. Keep up the good work!
As we settle into the autumn period we continue to focus on growth and develop of the business as our priority. We will continue to push marketing in the local areas and with your help we can focus, with leaflet drops, to reach the local community directly in their homes. I would like to thank those of you who have already started this drive for your dedication and have already seen a response from this as we welcome new customers on board.
Recruitment remains a significant challenge in the area, we continue to put all resources possible to sourcing the right candidates but If you know of anyone with the right skills and character who might want to join us, then please refer them into the office. Remember we also have the “refer a friend” scheme in place where you and the referred candidates who successfully pass the probation period can be financially rewarded.
Recently we have had feedback around communication and how we can make improvements as well as challenges regarding boundaries and the giving and receiving of gifts.
The use of Teams platform is a fantastic way to communicate quickly to your team, and while I welcome and encourage sharing positive experiences, celebrations, General Team updates on daily activities and support, I also acknowledge that there will be times communications can breakdown. We will continue to look at new ways to improve this starting with clear guidelines and notifications.
There will be a tag allocated to all customers who have given consent to share information and images on Teams, if this tag is not in place we must continue to use the One Touch health messaging and notification section or email, so I encourage you all to ensure these are checked prior to uploading or posting anything.
While I know we develop very close relationships with our customers I would like to remind you that Staff must never use their status or position to develop relationships with customers that would include business/commercial/financial relationship or close personal/romantic relationships. Maintaining professional boundaries protects the customer from exploitation and abuse and the care assistant from the consequences of inappropriate behaviour or over-involvement. This includes the giving and receiving of gifts.
Staff are not allowed to accept gifts or tips with the only exception at Christmas when you may accept a small gift providing it is no more than £10 in value and is not in the form of a cheque, cash or gift voucher. This must be recorded in the notes and reported to the manager.
For any other gift or favour, where it would cause serious offence to refuse, report this to your line manager. The manager will seek to dissuade the customer from making the gift or suggest that they make an equivalent donation to charity.
Gifts of money may only be accepted with the express intention that it will be passed in full to a charity nominated by the Company. Gifts such as flowers or chocolates should be left in the Customer’s home to be shared and enjoyed by all members of the care team.
Please ensure you have read and understand the policies and procedures on NEST around the use of social media professional boundaries.
As our loved ones age, ensuring their well-being becomes a priority. While many seniors value their independence and prefer to stay in their own homes, there often comes a time when additional support is needed. But how do you know when it’s time to consider home care? At Bluebird Care Newcastle, we understand the importance of this decision and are here to guide you through the signs that indicate it may be time to seek professional help.
One of the most noticeable signs is a decline in personal hygiene. If your loved one is struggling with bathing, dressing, grooming, or maintaining overall cleanliness, it might indicate they need assistance. This can be due to physical limitations, cognitive issues, or a lack of motivation, and it often leads to further health complications if not addressed promptly.
Daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and shopping can become overwhelming for seniors. If you notice that your loved one’s home is increasingly cluttered, laundry is piling up, or they’re skipping meals because they can’t cook, it’s a clear signal that they might benefit from home care services.
Falls are a significant risk for seniors and can lead to severe injuries. If your loved one is having difficulty moving around, struggling with balance, or experiencing frequent falls, professional caregivers can provide the support they need to stay safe. Home care can include mobility assistance, ensuring they can navigate their home without the risk of falling.
Memory lapses are common as people age, but consistent forgetfulness, confusion, or difficulty concentrating could be signs of cognitive decline. This can manifest in missed appointments, getting lost in familiar places, or forgetting to take medication. Home care providers can offer reminders and supervision to ensure their safety and well-being.
Seniors experiencing loneliness or depression might show changes in mood or behavior. They may become withdrawn, anxious, or exhibit unusual mood swings. Companionship is a crucial aspect of home care, providing social interaction and emotional support to improve their quality of life.
If your loved one is losing weight, neglecting their diet, or not adhering to their medical regimen, it’s time to consider home care. Carers can help with meal preparation, ensure they are eating nutritious food, and manage their medication schedule, promoting better health and preventing complications.
Family members often take on the role of carers, but this can lead to burnout and stress. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or unable to provide the level of care your loved one needs, it’s a sign that professional home care could be beneficial for both you and your loved one.
At Bluebird Care, we offer personalised home care services tailored to meet the unique needs of everyone. Our compassionate carers are trained to provide a wide range of services, from personal care and companionship to medical support and household assistance. We prioritise dignity, respect, and independence, ensuring your loved one receives the best possible care in the comfort of their own home.
Recognising the need for home care can be challenging, but it’s a crucial step in ensuring the health and happiness of your loved one. If you’ve noticed any of these signs, it might be time to explore home care options. Bluebird Care is here to help you navigate this transition with understanding and expertise.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can support your loved one’s needs. Together, we can provide the care and attention they deserve, allowing them to enjoy a safe and fulfilling life at home.
It only takes a few minutes and we’d be extremely grateful for your help! It helps increase brand awareness and strengthen our online presence so we are able to attract more customers and great like minded staff into the business.
Just click the buttons below to go to our Google Business pages or Facebook pages and leave us some great feedback.
Previously there has only been one national Trustpilot account for Bluebird Care. This caused problems when gaining a true reflection from branch to branch. However, the Trustpilot account has now been split up and we all have access to our own location profile, enabling us to have our own local Trustpilot score, which feeds into the overall national score.
This is a massive opportunity to let our Bluebird Care branches shine! Leave us a 5-star review by following the links below.
