The leading home care provider has announced the introduction of ‘Bluebird Care Assist’ which will give customers the opportunity to have free health checks at home.
The Bluebird Care Assist free health check programme gives Bluebird Care’s Care Professionals the skills and tools needed to carry out essential NHS health checks traditionally reserved for clinical healthcare staff such as Nurses.
Using the boxes, developed with Whzan, Care Professionals across Bluebird Care’s 209 UK offices can assess customers’ vital signs, activity and National Early Warning Signs (NEWS)2 – including blood pressure, oxygen levels, and hydration and nutrition levels.
These health and wellbeing markers can be monitored in-person and remotely over time, analysing the data to spot and address potential issues at the first signs of concern.
The Bluebird Care Assist boxes, launching across Bluebird Care’s UK offices through 2025, support Bluebird Care’s mission to help everyone to live life on their terms, in their own homes.
The national rollout of the programme comes after several years of demonstrating the positive impact of this initiative in a number of Bluebird Care’s franchise businesses.
During the initial testing phase of Bluebird Care Assist, the team have seen transformative results. One customer suffered regular Urinary Tract Infections, which saw her stay in hospital for two weeks at a time. Thanks to Bluebird Care Assist, as soon as the early warning signs of a UTI are picked up, via the GP, early treatment can prevent the infection from taking hold. The result is lessened pain and distress for the customer and her family – and a cost saving to the over-burdened hospital system by allowing her to remain at home.
Thanks to the network-wide investment, Bluebird Care will now be able to introduce the complementary health checks from the first moment a customer joins them.
The national roll out also gives people across the country greater access to healthcare services without the administrative and time burden it can take to visit in-person services. Customers and their families will be able to monitor their health remotely too, providing increased peace of mind.
Using Bluebird Care Assist, Care Professionals are given the confidence and tools to ensure their care is truly evidence-based and bespoke.
Sean & Jordan Byrne, Directors of Bluebird Care Medway and Swale, said:
“We’ve fully integrated Bluebird Care Assist into our core offer for customers and the results have been remarkable. As well as preventing health conditions from worsening, it also gives families real peace of mind. Our Care Professionals walk through the front door with all the tools they need to look after their loved one’s health and wellbeing in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.”
Lee Walsh, Director of Operations, Bluebird Care, said:
“We’re proud to be bringing Bluebird Care Assist to our 209 UK offices in the latest step in our journey to transform our offer for customers who wish to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes. We know that our Care Professionals are uniquely qualified to understand a person’s whole picture of care and so equipping them to carry out essential health checks simply makes sense.
This integrated, digitally-supported model is the future of care – and after 20 years at the forefront of home care, we’re excited to be introducing it to tens of thousands of homes.”
