J.

Location: Lancashire

My son was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. This left him with severe learning difficulties and complex health and social needs. He also has epilepsy. The cancer was in multiple areas of his body and the last one had gone to his brain causing a stroke. This left him with weakness on one side, he requires 2:1 care.

After having Direct Payments to employ staff to support him, I began to look to see if he could have his own team of staff that was person centred around his health and social needs. Having a Personal Health Budget has allowed us to do this.

The Personal Health Budget means we are in control which allows him to have the flexibility and fullfilled life that suits him. We don't have support staff who he has only met a couple of times turning up to take him out, then have to be back by a certain time as they have to move on to someone else. His days are planned around him and we get to build up a team around his needs. We have input and choice in who cares for him by being involved in the process of employing the staff. We also know who is caring for him and who is coming into our home.

Solo take all the stress away from dealing with any issues around the HR side of employing staff. Solo holds the budget and deals with the money side of his receipts and anything he needs that is in the Care Plan. They also make sure that all the compulsory training is carried out alongside any additional training which maybe needed. This all helps and allows us to just deal with caring for my son.

(We could not have dealt with the) employment of staff and also any issues around staff and training (without the support of Solo). it is great that Solo also handles the budget which helps us with audits etc. It is so nice that we don't have that side of the stress and we can just concentrate on caring! Thank you Solo! 

- Been with Solo Support Services since September 2013.