Enabling your independence
Part of the family
Spirit Care work in partnership with clients to promote choice and control, making every effort to maximise their independence. Our relationship with our clients is founded on honesty, integrity and respect. Our purpose is to make a positive difference by delivering holistic care of the highest standard. We will respect client individuality and support their choice to lead an independent life at home.
Who we are & what we do Spirit care is a national provider of complex care for adults and children with profound disabilities who choose to live in their own homes. Accessing care at home enables our clients to live either independently or with partners and families. Our specialist teams deliver holistic packages which combine clinical and therapeutic support alongside personal care. We have extensive experience in supporting social, educational, workplace and holiday commitments and activities. Spirit clients include spinal cord injury, acquired and traumatic brain injury and those living with degenerative neurological disorders. We operate across the UK working with privately funded individuals and NHS and Local Authority commissioning teams.
In partnership with clients, the commissioner and the broader health and social care team we develop bespoke packages of care that meet the needs and wishes of our clients whilst respecting individuality and choice. Our teams are made up of highly qualified nursing staff, professional care managers and specialised care workers, known as Personal Assistants. Each member of our clinical team is a Registered Nurse (educated to Diploma or Degree level) with expertise in the delivery of complex care at home. Our nurses oversee the training and performance of the Personal Assistants, who deliver all aspects of a client’s care.
We understand that a client’s needs will change over time, and that any care package needs to adapt to these new requirements. In order to build a responsive service we maintain a close dialogue with our clients, their health teams and their families. This helps us to act swiftly on any operational issues and to personalise our service by incorporating our clients’ wishes and preferences. Our mission is to enable independent living for people with profound disabilities. We are focussed on promoting client choice whilst respecting dignity and individuality.
Spirit’s Care Managers have extensive health and social care backgrounds and line management responsibility of the Personal Assistants. They are responsible for co-ordinating rota management, appraisals of staff and are also a support for our clients and their families on a day to day basis.
Vision and Values We believe that people living with profound disabilities should have the choice of living an independent life in their own home. The Spirit philosophy focuses on working in partnership with clients to promote choice and control, making every effort to maximise their independence and respect their individuality. Our relationships with our clients are founded on honesty, integrity and respect. To facilitate this, we are guided by the following aims and objectives: • Delivery of a professional service by employing experienced Registered Nurses to lead in clinical care delivery, and ensuring the highest standards of training for our Personal Assistants in all aspects of personal and clinical care
• Utilise a comprehensive quality assurance process which includes stringent clinical guidelines, robust policies and procedures for our staff as well as sourcing regular client and commissioner feedback • Invest in the ongoing training and development of our teams to ensure that our care provision meets evolving industry standards and practices • Charge competitive fees in an effort to reduce the financial burden of accessing complex care, a factor which can often prohibit our clients from choosing to live independently in their own homes
• Deploy HR policies which facilitate diverse and client specific recruitment strategies as well as recognising the importance of retaining committed staff
Our services Spirit specialises in the delivery of complex care within the home. We provide bespoke, comprehensive care services for adults and children living with profound disabilities including acquired and traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and neurological disorders. Your bespoke team
Our teams are made up of a mixture of highly experienced nursing staff, professional care managers and specialised care workers, known as Personal Assistants.
Nursing team
Spirit’s nursing teams are made up of Registered Nurses and Paediatric Nurses who are educated to Diploma or Degree level with a wide range of Post Registration qualifications. Each of our nurses have an in-depth knowledge of delivering complex care within the home environment. Our nursing team manage the delivery of clinical care, with expertise in performing a range of complex clinical interventions such as: • Tracheostomy care • Gastric feeding • Invasive bowel management • Urinary catherisation We invest heavily in the ongoing training of our nurses to ensure that our clients receive the highest possible standard of nursing practice and advice. In addition to managing the clinical aspect of a client’s care, our nurses are responsible for the training and on-going development of Personal Assistants. As a nursing team we are motivated, forward thinking individuals who embrace the teaching of Personal Assistants in clinical competencies for the benefit of our clients
Care Managers
Our Care Managers play a key role in the recruitment and selection of Personal Assistants in partnership with clients and families; they are responsible for rota management, staff development and problem solving. Their priority is to ensure that our clients are fully satisfied with their care package which they achieve by adopting an open, respectful and resourceful approach to working with all of our partners. They line manage the Personal Assistants on a day to day basis, ensuring that they feel supported and mentored for their role.
Personal Assistants
Our Personal Assistants deliver a wide range of care skills including: • Bathing • Dressing • Bowel and bladder management • Infection control • Nutritional support • Manual Handling • Respiratory Management Given the intimate nature of the support delivered by Personal Assistants, it is crucial that they are compatible with the client. For this reason, we involve the client in the process of recruiting their Personal Assitants which allows them to better assert their individuality and to work with people with whom they can form a lasting relationship.
All of our Personal Assistants must complete a robust induction training course. They are then given any additional training required to care for their specific client. This training is delivered by our qualified Nursing teams to equip Personal Assistants with skills such as advanced airway management, gastronomy and jeujonostomy feeding as well as diabetes and epilepsy management. Personal Assitants are monitored and regularly supervised by nursing staff to ensure that they are delivering the highest possible standard of care. We also value the importance of our code of conduct which sets out clear standards ensuring that staff our professional, are able to conflict manage situations if necessary and above all have a positive mental attitude and commitment to independent living.
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Your bespoke care plan and service For each client, we create a detailed and highly bespoke care plan. To ensure continuity of care and to maximise expertise, our plans are developed in consultation with the wider team of health and social care professionals who are working with the client..
We also work in close partnership with the client and their families as we believe that incorporating their preferences is an integral part of delivering an effective care package. We recognise that our clients’ needs will change over time, and that our plans and delivery must be responsive to this evolution. Our approach incorporates regular clinical and operational assessment, consultation with wider healthcare teams and feedback from the client, all of which allows us to deliver the best care. Furthermore, we invest in the ongoing training of our staff to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to operate at the forefront of complex clinical care delivery.
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Freedom to be yourself
Referral and Assessment Spirit’s philosophy promotes an open, inclusive and needs led assessment process. The initial assessment will be undertaken by a Registered Nurse in the presence of the client. We welcome the referrer to be present at the assessment and a family member or friend of the client if desired. The assessment will take place in the home or place of residence at the time, for example, a hospital, nursing home etc. The assessment offers an initial opportunity for the client and assessor to get to know each other. The purpose of the assessment is to establish the client’s health and social needs enabling, in partnership with the client and commissioner, an appropriate package of care to be proposed. It also offers an opportunity for the client to ask any questions they may have regarding any aspect of the Spirit organisation. Contact details will be left with the client in order that they can contact Spirit should there be any further queries which may arise following the assessment. Following the assessment Spirit Care will provide an estimate of cost to the purchaser.
The assessor’s involvement is on-going throughout the decision making process of the purchaser and will continue should Spirit become the chosen provider. This ensures continuity and enables on-going assessment should the circumstances or needs of the client change. Both the initial assessment and ongoing involvement of the assessor in the care package form part of our service. They are delivered free of charge and can be drawn on at any time. The charge rates at Spirit are inclusive of management, training and recruitment costs.
Specialised Care – SCI, ABI, TBI and Neurological Disorders ABI/ TBI
Spirit delivers a specialist service to individuals who have sustained an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We understand the impact which a brain injury can have upon clients and their families; hence a key element of our approach is to maintain those special relationships. We have the utmost respect for the important role played by our clients’ family and friends and we value their ongoing input. Our aim is to help clients and their loved ones adjust to their changed perspectives and expectations in a meaningful way. Our care/support plans prioritise structure and goal setting, which has been shown to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients living with a brain injury. This outcome based approach forms the basis of our delivery as well as a vital part of the training for our support teams. We work in partnership with any external multi-disciplinary professionals involved in our clients care. This ensures that a holistic therapeutic approach is prioritised throughout the delivery of our support package in areas of occupational therapy clinical psychology, speech and language and physiotherapy at all times.
Spinal Cord Injury
Spirit care specialises in the care of individuals who have sustained spinal cord injury. Such injuries can result in tetraplegia, a complex condition involving all the systems in the body, which requires specialist care and multiple interventions over a 24-hour period. By using our qualified teams to deliver a bespoke care plan we can minimise the risk of complications and associated hospital admissions for our clients. Our nurses have a wealth of experience performing a wide range of clinical interventions for people living with spinal cord injury. In addition to undertaking the required clinical interventions they are also responsible for the training and on-going development of Personal Assistants. Together our teams are equipped to manage all aspects of our clients’ care, including: • Bowel and bladder management • Skin care • Manual handling techniques • Autonomic dysreflexia • Poikilothermia • Postural hypotension • Impaired respiratory function We use a holistic approach which recognises the importance of meeting a person’s social, psychological and therapeutic needs alongside the clinical and personal aspects of their care. The impact of spinal cord injury is far reaching, affecting not only the client but their family and friends as well. Our experience and knowledge helps our clients to live a full and independent life of their choosing. At Spirit we appreciate our role as that of enabling an individual to be in control of their life and to make choices according to their wishes and needs. We believe that the client is the expert in their disability and as such should always be at the centre of any decisionmaking which concerns them.
Paediatric Care
Spirit supports children and young people with complex health needs at home. The child’s needs will be assessed by a Registered Nurse (child branch) and will encompass all aspects of the child’s health, social and educational requirements. Spirit aspires to care for children by using a family centred approach, valuing and respecting the roles of parents, siblings, and other family members. Spirit embraces the targets set by the Department of Health strategy in the ‘Every Child Matters’ document. On our Induction Course we will discuss Spirit’s Child Protection policy as a core session. A qualified First Aid Instructor will teach paediatric resuscitation of babies and infants. All competency training is specific to each child and will be undertaken in the location of discharge or in the child’s home by a qualified Paediatric Nurse. Paediatric clinical guidelines are in place for all procedures.
Understanding your needs, whether work...
...or play
Spirit Care Limited Blount House Hall Court Hall Park Way Town Centre Telford Shropshire TF3 4NQ
E: info@spirit-care.co.uk T: 01952 290400