News / Adult Social Care
New scheme to ‘revolutionise’ social care
A Bristol charity has launched a new initiative that it claims could “revolutionise” the way that care is treated across the city.
BS3 Community Care, which is based in Bedminster, started the scheme in July with the plan to increase the quality of care received by fostering longer term and more personal relationships between carers and the person receiving care.
Carla believes that BS3 Community care will “revolutionise” the way we treat care – photo: Max Story
Carla, the care and wellbeing manager at BS3 community care, told Bristol24/7 about how this new scheme would work.
is needed now More than ever
“The standard model of care is that you are here one day, and with a different client the next, and you don’t get a chance to build that rapport,” Carla told Bristol24/7.
“We would connect up people who provide any type of care service: support workers, carers, and anyone else who provides care and wellbeing services, and then connect them up with anybody who need care and support in the community.
“We call it an introductory service, we work with people on a self-employed basis, we do the introductions but what it’s really about, is that they are working directly together. It’s almost like a matchmaking service but for care and support.”
All candidates for the carer positions must be assessed on whether they are fully qualified, and must also be a registered sole trader.
The care provided aims to be much more personal and will always be on a one-to-one basis. The care provided can range from complex medical care for deteriorative illnesses, to home help and companionship.
Syl is using her years of social care experience to new uses with BS3 community care. Photo: Max Story
Syl, who has 47 years experience working in special educational and disabilities needs (SEND) schools is one of the first carers to be part of the project as a personal care assistant.
Speaking on what this scheme means to her, she says: “After I was sadly made redundant over the summer, I wanted to do something to utilise my skills, and I discovered BS3 community care, and that was it, it just took off.
“I work with a lot of people with dementia, and they take a lot of time to get to know them and how to deal with them, which you just would not get through an agency.
“You have to build trust and you have to build a relationship and go with the expectation of seeing how the person is on the day. Whether they remember who you even are or not.”
While there are agencies around the country that do offer an introductory service similar to BS3 community care, they are all for-profit, while BS3 is the only non-profit social enterprise who provides such a scheme.
BS3 Community Care offers care and opportunities to those who live in the postcode – photo: Max Story
Carla also told us about the benefits for the care providers offered by the scheme: “There is so much money in the care industry, in commercial companies they will take a huge cut and then pay the worker’s minimum wage.
“For us we really believe that the workers who provide something that is incredibly specialist, valuable, and personal, they should be fairly rewarded for that.
“What the client pays, the largest majority of that will go to the person who provides the service. And what is taken by BS3, only goes into running the charity.
“We really believe that this will help revolutionise the care industry. So, watch this space, the revolution starts here.”
Main photo: Max Story
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
