Local Authority Feedback

Curam was founded to build a better care community and help restore the fractured social care sector. 

As a result nearly 6,000 carers now use Curam to find well paid care opportunities, earning on average £15.28 an hour and have delivered over a million hours of care to their clients. Part of this success can be attributed to the fantastic partnerships Curam has built with various local authorities across the UK with 18 of these using Curam's bespoke local authority portal to source carers. 

By partnering up with local authorities, Curam provides direct payment recipients with access to affordable care that can be found quickly and is personal to a client's needs. With the healthcare system currently overrun, waiting times can be detrimental to a patient's health. With Curam, care recipients can find care in as little as 3 hours taking the frustration and stress away from finding care. 

Curam is extremely proud to have generated some incredible feedback and helpful case studies, from both care recipients and local authorities too. Take a look. 

Direct Payment Recipient based in Fife

 "Thank you for your email.

We have found the Curam platform to be an excellent way of searching for and booking a carer for our elderly relative.

Once we had registered on the platform, it was very easy to search for carers in our postcode area and contact them directly to see what their availability was etc. It is also very helpful to be able to see further information about the carer, in particular, whether they were a car driver, their qualifications and their interests in general.

We 'hired' one carer through Curam and had communicated with another carer to discuss availability.  Our elderly relative has now entered a care home so sadly we will no longer need the service of the carer we used who was an excellent lady with very high standards of care and commitment to the job.

 This is the third elderly relative that I have had to source care for in the last 4 years, but the first time I have used the Curam platform.  My personal experience of finding a carer previously has been a very difficult and frustrating experience as many care companies do not reply to you, and it is not easy to see if they have a carer in your area who is available for work. 

I would highly recommend that other private care agencies and Fife Council themselves consider adopting a platform similar to Curam as it would save a huge amount of time both for the company/Council and the person searching for care, and would improve the speed of care that can be provided for an elderly person.  With the current waiting times through Fife Council, an elderly person can be many weeks in hospital and/or many weeks in a facility which is not suitable for them, simply because a bed had to be found.  In that period of time the mental and physical deterioration can be very significant, and an elderly person who initially needs 2-3 hours/day then requires fulltime care. I have had personal experience of this with my aunt and it is very distressing to see her deteriorating from a independent, vibrant individual to a extremely mentally affected person, simply because she has been in environments for many weeks with very little stimulation.

I think the Curam platform is definitely an example of how care can be found quickly with the costs etc clearly shown, so that decisions can be made quickly which is vital for the elderly person".

Direct Payment Recipient based in Warrington

"Following a carers assessment by my local authority I was awarded 6 hours sitting service each week  to give me some time to myself from caring for my husband.  I was told to log onto the Curam Care website to choose carers from the list.  I was apprehensive as I am not too happy with technology and looking for carers is a totally new area for me. I shouldn't have worried as the logging in process was very straightforward.  I felt happy that Curam Care have undertaken all the vetting checks and public liability so, all the worry was taken off my shoulders, caring for someone with Alzheimer's dementia is stressful enough so knowing that these areas had been covered was a relief.

Each carer on the list has detailed information as to their strengths both in terms of their areas of expertise and also their interests/hobbies which helped me to narrow down the appropriate people.

I am also pleased with the professional way in which payments and issuing of receipts is carried out by Curam Care.

I chose two carers for 3hrs each and am been totally satisfied with the quality of their care both for my husband and also for their care of me".

David at Wolverhampton council 

"Curam has successfully joined the City of Wolverhampton Council's 'approved provider' list for personal budget support services. Residents can use the Curam platform with complete confidence to find carers in their area to meet their care and support needs". 

Curam Carer Kim L

"I was first introduced to Curam in June last year by a lady who was working alongside me part time as a covid operative assistant for a college in Manchester. She explained to me that I can choose my own hours and rate of pay within reason to introduce work that fits in around me. My background of experience and qualifications fitted everything Curam wanted. I had my interview with Curam and all the boxes were ticked. I slowly began to build my own portfolio and addressed my knowledge and experience in the care sector. I began to have my own care package of clients within no time that fitted around my hours and local to me. I have never been self-employed before so when I first started I was a little skeptical.  I have always worked in the care sector and as an adult and childs co-ordinator. I've also worked as a brain injury support worker and then my last job was working for Liverpool council in the housing sector so my ability to support people is very high for me. 

But Since last year I have never looked back. I have a fantastic ethnic of good people I care for and I fully enjoy my role as a support worker. Curam makes it easy for me to authorise agreements and invoices with pleasure with no problem whatsoever. My portfolio is always available for people to read. Curam has given me the ability to let me go into a lot of detail with my work experience and with this in mind a lot of clients have stated that they have enjoyed reading my portfolio with such detail. I am very thankful for Curam for a lot of reasons... The staff are always there whenever you have a query or any concerns. Curam gives me the choice and flexibility, rates and hours of work fits in around me. You can openly go onto courses to do refreshments at any time too to get the full knowledge of your care plans. 

Carers are paid more, Clients pay less. It is  a great platform for Carers, very easy to navigate around. 

I will never go back as a payee. I fully enjoy my role as a support worker and to be on the Curam platform. 

Since I have been more independent and flexible in my career I have my own personal saying…

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work another day in your life. That pretty much sums me up on how I feel about Curam'.  

Toya, Health and Adults Services Manager at North Yorkshire County Council 

"As a manager who works in Health and Adults Services for North Yorkshire County Council, I recognise the importance for people to find good quality care and support that is right for them. Personal Assistants are key to having real positive and beneficial impacts to people who want to remain independent living in their own homes.

For this reason, North Yorkshire County Council support many vulnerable people and people with disabilities to access Curam’s platform to create jobs enabling people to find the care and support they need.

Don’t worry if you haven’t done this type of work before. If you’re compassionate, hardworking and driven to maximise the health and well-being of others, or if you want to play a key part enabling people to live fulfilled lives and contribute to their community, this could be the ideal role for you!".

Direct payment recipient case study, North Yorkshire County Council  

"RW lived in Wakefield but whilst on holiday in Whitby area, visiting family, unfortunately had to be admitted to hospital. The family decided to have mum live with them in her final days rather than return home or into hospice/nursing home.

A direct payment was set up to enable the family employ PAs to support mum whilst she lived with her family.

Family provided the overnight care but after a while found it was impacting on family life, health and well-being.  It was agreed Family could have a live-in carer/s but family wanted to avoid having more carers in the home on a regular basis as they wanted to maintain the home environment for younger family members who were struggling with the change in the home environment (said it was beginning to feel like a care home).  They registered with Curamcare and engaged a worker to provide occasional overnight support to give them a break.

Using the Curamcare worker enabled the family to continue to manage having their mum live with them and she in turn was able to live out her final days with her family rather than in a hospital or hospice environment". 

Sasha Jeffries, Community Development Manager at Hillingdon Council:  

"Curam has successfully joined Hillingdon council's 'approved provider' list for personal budget support services. Residents can use the Curam platform with complete confidence to find carers in their area to meet their care and support needs.

Curam's services have been widely promoted to Hillingdon staff and residents which will generate the need for more available carers, so if you are looking for work in this field, it is a perfect time to complete your registration."

Direct payment recipient case study, Hillingdon Council 

"KF is a personal assistant who has worked with several families in Hillingdon, to provide outreach for service users with learning disabilities.

KF decided to sign up to Curam and register as a self-employed carer/ personal assistant, rather than being ‘employed’ by the service user’s family under a Direct Payment.

KF found the sign up process really easy, there was lots of information and support available on the Curam platform and the training is good, especially for those who may not have worked in the care sector before.

Curam provide insurance for carers so that was one less thing for KF to worry about or have to arrange herself.

KF found the whole experience of using the Curam platform positive and the invoicing was easy to do.

Curam offer support in regard to becoming a self-employed carer and links to set up a DBS check, if not already done.

KF felt that she didn’t have to ask many questions or seek help to set herself up on the Curam platform, but when she did ask for advice, it was quick and forthcoming.

KF feels that registering on the Curam platform had given her more control and she was able to set her own price rates, which means she is financially better off. As a self-employed carer, she can also claim other expenses such as mileage, which wasn’t easy to do previously.

KF feels that using the Curam platform takes the pressure of the service user or family member who is acting as the employer and makes it much easier for them to hire carers. She feels it may be difficult for some people who are not confident at using the internet but once they get the hang of it, it is very quick and easy.

KF has had several enquiries about working for other service users and if she has more free time available, she would be able to accept additional work. She

has encouraged friends and colleagues to sign up to the platform and form a ‘micro team’, which she feels is very positive and gives carers the opportunity to vouch and cover for each other and in turn feel more supported.

Overall, KF feels that using the Curam platform has been a positive and seamless experience".

Feedback from Angela, a direct payment funded client

"I’m extremely happy with Efy and Petronela who I found for my mum.

They are efficient, friendly and both go above and beyond with mums complex needs.

They are patient, observant, and very aware of safety issues surrounding dementia patients. I’m very happy with them!"

 

To find out more about Curam, book a call with Deanna, our Partnerships Manager by clicking here.