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LIVING WELL WITH SPINA BIFIDA, FOR ALL OF LIFE

At Prestige Nursing & Care we believe that everyone living with spina bifida can lead a happy, fulfilled and healthy life with the right support in place, tailored to their individual needs.

As an established provider we have been supporting individuals living with spina bifida to have an improved quality of life in their own homes and communities for over 75 years. We have been trusted by families up and down the country to provide care for all of life, evolving the level and type of care we provide to meet changing needs.

YOUR HOME IS BEST FOR SPINA BIFIDA CARE AND SUPPORT

For many living with spina bifida the last place they would wish to receive care and support to develop and remain independent would be in a specialist care setting, whether on a temporary or permanent basis.   This unsettling thought can cause anxiety, depression and other mental health problems for those living with spina bifida.

Receiving the one-to-one care and support you need in the familiar surroundings of your own home, with your established routines can significantly improve your quality of life and enhance your well-being.  Care at home enables you to remain independent and live your life with choice, whilst supporting you to successfully meet development milestones and for children and young adults, educational achievements.

WHAT IS SPINA BIFIDA?

Spina bifida is a condition that affects a persons’ spine.  It can occur anywhere along the spine if the neural tube does not close all the way.  When the neural tube does not close all the way, the backbone that protects the spinal cord does not form normally and close as it should, resulting in damage to the spinal cord and nerves.

Spina bifida usually occurs during the first few weeks of pregnancy and the actual cause is unknown although the role of genetics and the environment are widely studied.

Those living with spina bifida will generally be living with some physical and/ or intellectual difficulties that range from mild to severe and depend on the size and location of the opening in the spine and whether part of the spinal cord and nerves are affected.

Mobility and physical challenges are present for those living with spina bifida.  Whilst some children and adults are able to walk without any aids or assistance, some require braces, walkers, crutches or a wheelchair.  If spina bifida is higher on the spine some might have paralyzed legs and require a wheelchair.

Children and adults living with spina bifida have limited feeling in some areas of their body, resulting in them not feeling when they have hurt themselves, and therefore may not tell the person caring for them.  People living with spina bifida may have long-term or lifetime challenges physically, psychologically, and socially.  A high-quality home care service and strong family support ensures those living with spina bifida have a fulfilled and productive life, despite their limitations.

Pressure sores and skin wounds are common and the primary source of hospitalisation for those living with spina bifida.  Other difficulties faced by those living with spina bifida include learning, vision, incontinence, maintaining a healthy weight, depression and relating and engaging with others.

OUR APPROACH TO SPINA BIFIDA CARE AT HOME

At Prestige Nursing & Care we provide a care and support package that enables you to live a happy and fulfilled life in the safety and comfort of your own home.  The support we provide will be guided by you and tailored to your needs, giving you choice over how you live your life and the support you want.

Our focus is for you to have as much enjoyment in life and our carer will support you to enjoy all the activities and socialisation you wish, and will actively encourage you to learn new skills and engage in new hobbies to make life stimulating and meaningful.  Our carers will support you with all aspects of daily living including bathing, dressing, preparing and cooking food, and supporting your mobility needs, including helping with assistive devices.

We work collaboratively with our clients and their families to develop a thorough care and support plan that accurately reflects a person’s holistic needs.  We also adopt a partnership approach to working with local authority partners, NHS services, multidisciplinary teams, therapists and other community bodies involved in a person’s care.  This means we are well-informed so we can provide continuity of care ensuring the right care is in place at the right time, whilst responding efficiently to changing needs and complement and supplement care provision when required.

Our competent and compassionate carers will ensure those living with spina bifida are supported to participate in regular physical activity recommended by a physiotherapist, which is so important for conditions where movement is affected.  They will also ensure you are supported to participate in community programmes that support those with the condition, including special education services for those with disabilities.  Your carer will be proactive in ensuring you can live life to the full in your local community and attend recreational camps, enjoy local parks and participate in sports activities that are accessible for those with disability.

The care team will provide sensitive skin care to ensure you maintain skin integrity, regularly checking skin for redness, particularly under braces where they may rub on contact so skin problems can be identified before they become sores.  They will also ensure you do not sit or lie in one position for too long.

We know that children and adults living with spina bifida can have incontinence concerns and are prone to developing urinary tract infections (UTIs).  Our observant carers support a plan for going to the bathroom, will monitor for changes that may result in a UTI and will respond appropriately and efficiently.   Carers are trained to provide catheter care where required with respect and dignity for those who are living with a catheter to support their bladder concerns.

COMPETENT AND COMPASSIONATE CARERS

When you choose Prestige Nursing & Care you can be reassured that the carer who cares for you or your loved one is experienced and expertly trained to provide the support you need, to the high standards you should expect.

If you are receiving complex care at home, the carers we choose to support your needs will have at least six months care or health sector experience before they come to care for you. In addition to completing our induction training programme, which goes above mandatory requirements they are trained by our registered nurses, clinical experts and other healthcare professionals involved in providing care to a specific client.  This hands-on nurse training means our carers can competently undertake a range of clinical interventions.

We adopt a bespoke approach to training that ensures our carers have the knowledge, skills and aptitude to deliver high-quality complex care that meets the very specific needs of our clients.  Through our unrivalled supervision and clinical oversight carers can adapt their approach and evolve the care they provide to meet changing needs.

We are very proud of our carers – each and every one of them is dedicated to providing compassionate, sensitive and dignified complex care at home that means our clients live a fulfilled and meaningful life, with independence and choice, for all of life.

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CLINICAL EXCELLENCE AT PRESTIGE NURSING & CARE

Clinical excellence is at the heart of our culture and approach to service delivery at Prestige Nursing & Care. Our nurse-led home care service is monitored and supported by our experienced regional nursing teams. Our team of qualified regional nurses are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Each holds a registered nursing qualification in at least one nursing specialism, including general adult nursing, learning and disability nursing, mental health nursing and children’s nursing. They enable the planning and delivery of safe and effective complex care to our clients, that is focused on ensuring the best possible care experience for our clients and their families.

Our nurses work in partnership with our care co-ordinators, carers, clients and families to identify specific care needs and plan the most appropriate care provision, whilst ensuring all our carers have the skills they need to deliver high standards of nurse-led care. They also provide families with on-going advice and continual support to ensure they feel reassured about the service we provide.

WHAT DOES OUR HOME CARE SERVICE INCLUDE FOR THOSE LIVING WITH SPINA BIFIDA?

HOW WE PROVIDE CARE AT HOME FOR THOSE LIVING WITH SPINA BIFIDA

Our trusted and established care at home service can be provided in the following ways for a person living with spina bifida:

  • Hourly care or visiting care, as it is sometimes referred is for those who need care and support with tasks of daily living or clinical care at certain times during the day. Care at home can be provided from a 30 minute visit, to as many hours/visits throughout the day you require, one day or several days of the week depending on your care and support needs. For those who have complex needs, hourly care can be provided over a 24-hour period.
  • Live-in care for when a permanent care arrangement is needed with greater levels of support around the clock to ensure a person can live well at home. Through our family of leading home care brands in the UK, we are able to offer award-winning live-in care rated ‘Outstanding’ by The Care Quality Commission (CQC).
  • Respite care for those needing a short-term arrangement after hospital discharge to rehabilitate or when a family carer needs a break from their caring role. It is also an ideal service for families who wish to assess whether care at home is the right care choice for them.
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CARE MANAGEMENT LOCAL TO YOU

Our responsive and reliable spina bifida care service local to you means we can put care and support in place quickly and in many cases within 24-hours.   Depending on your needs a comprehensive assessment will be conducted by either a registered nurse or our local care expert.  We can conduct the assessment at your home, in hospital or in any specialist care setting if you are awaiting discharge back to your own home enabling a plan of care and support to be developed that meets all your needs.

Our approach to care planning ensures we capture all your preferences and wishes so you can live a contented life in the comfort of your own home.  We take time to find the carer that would best meet your care and support needs, making sure they are closely aligned with how you wish to live your life. Once care is in place, our local teams made up of care and clinical experts provide you, your family and our carer with an abundance of on-going support, giving you peace of mind that you or your loved one is receiving the very best home care.

QUALITY ASSURANCE THROUGH REGULATED SERVICE PROVISION

Prestige Nursing & Care is not an agency.  Unlike a home care agency we provide a fully managed and regulated care at home service, which means our clients, their families and our professional partners can be reassured that the care and support we provide those living with spina bifida is of the very highest quality.

Our service is inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England and the Scottish Care Inspectorate (SCI) in Scotland.  We are proud that 96% of our inspected services have been rated as providing a ‘Good’ service, with 4% rated ‘Outstanding’ and our services in Scotland have been awarded a five-star rating.

Our accredited service for complex care, which meets local and national quality standards and ensures a consistent approach to the care we provide, provides peace of mind and reassurance that our service if of the highest quality.

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COST OF SPINA BIFIDA CARE

The cost of spina bifida care is dependent on the level of care and support you require.  If you are receiving our hourly spina bifida care the overall cost will be determined by the number of visits and frequency of visits to you at home. Our experts will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your needs at your home, or in hospital if you are awaiting discharge to truly understand what you need and therefore how much spina bifida care at home will cost.

We know that our cost of professional spina bifida care is very competitive when compared with other home care providers.  It is worth noting that when comparing the cost of home care with a care package in a care home, that the fee you pay for home care is actually for the care and support you receive.  In a care home your weekly fee mainly covers your accommodation, food and social activities with the care package being only a small part of what you pay.

You may be entitled to either healthcare funding, social care funding or Government funding to contribute to the cost spina bifida care.  If you are faced with having to finance your own home care (known as self-funding care), there are initiatives available to you, including care fees annuities or equity release schemes that could provide the funds you need for your care and support.

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RESPONSIVE LOCAL TEAMS WITH NATIONWIDE COVERAGE

We are providing care and support to those living with spina bifida in over 30 locations in the heart of communities across England and Scotland.  The fully managed service we provide is highly responsive and our experts local to you can put care packages in place quickly, working in collaboration with local healthcare professionals, multidisciplinary teams, therapeutic care providers and other community support services.  We know this holistic approach ensures our clients get the best out of life, for all of life.

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USEFUL RESOURCES

There are several organisations and charities that support those who are living with spina bifida, including the Spina Bifida Association, Shine and The Brain Charity.

We are here to take your call and will provide impartial support and guidance – contact our friendly care experts today to discuss your spina bifida care and support needs.


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