Continuing healthcare or access to work?

Lizzygb

Note from moderator, link to previous thread mentioned during this post.

Hi there, I have a previous thread about access to work and my difficulties in finding a way that I can have my current PA for personal care, to also be the person who is in work with me helping me do my job but paid for by access to work. I have got to the point where I have run out of energy to keep trying as I can't seem to find a way to make this work. The access to work advisor was pretty useless in that she just kept saying I need to find three quotes of providers – where are these mysterious providers?
A friend has also explained that he is on continuing healthcare, which is something he switched to as an alternative to direct payments and access to work. This covers all of his care needs, social needs and employment support needs (he is self-employed but that doesn't make a difference)
does anybody have any experience of continuing healthcare? Would it be a solution to providing the care for me wherever I am regardless of if I am at home or working, personal care, support in work etc?
my mum had the idea of Calling care agencies, To see if they would employ my current PA so that I could give this to access to work as a potential provider. But they said is something they wouldn't do.
I really don't get how to sort this problem out. The biggest thing is that I don't think anybody actually understands what I'm trying to achieve.

Ross_Alumni

Hello @Lizzygb

Welcome back, sorry to hear that you haven't been able to make much progress. 

I wonder if there has been some confusion from ATW's end which hasn't been helping. It seems as though they are trying to encourage you down the normal support worker route and possibly don't understand that you want your current PA to be that support worker. Have you made it clear to them that that is what you are asking? I'm sure you will have, I just thought it was worth asking because communications with ATW can be a bit muddled at the best of times.

The only agency I know of that provides support workers for ATW is ATW Solutions,  who you might want to get in touch with and speak about your query. Have you asked ATW for a list of other providers they work with for these sorts of things?

I have no experience of continuing healthcare, but I found this NHS page which will tell you everything you need to know about it.

Lizzygb

thank you, I have just been on the phone to somebody from ATW solutions, and all I can say is that this is the first person I’ve spoken to who actually understands what I’m wanting to achieve and what I need! I’m just awaiting an email from him where he’s going to give me the quote plus 2 others that I can then give back to ATW. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end, or the beginning of the beginning ha ha

Ross_Alumni

Yes hopefully you can get somewhere with this @Lizzygb