Sharing your lived experience is a powerful way to make services, like health and social care, better and more inclusive. It’s also a great way to make new connections, gain experience, and get paid too!If you’ve got something to share but aren’t sure where to start, Shaping Our Lives has launched a new guide and [...]

Research shows benefit payments could rise to more than £10bn if support for long-term illnesses is not improved…Research by pension consultants LCP claims that PIP (Personal Independence Payment) benefits could rise by 75% by 2033, because of an increase in health problems including back pain, heart disease and mental illness in people about to retire."The [...]

At the beginning of July we introduced a subscription fee for PAs to try and increase very necessary revenue to fund the website and make more improvements. There have been a few concerns raised by PA Users and PAs since and we wanted to explain how the PA subscriptions work and reassure members that we’ve [...]

PA Pool is constantly developing and maintaining content to meet the needs of our members. Below is a brief summary of the activities that have taken place so far this year: We changed the background of the "My PA Pool" dashboard so it is now blue when your status is “I’m Sorted” and green when [...]

Are you Disabled and aged under 30? Share your opinions and you could win a £50 voucher! Shaping Our Lives is a user-led organisation which focuses on inclusive involvement – making sure that everyone can have their say, including those who face the biggest barriers. They, and we, believe that everyone’s lived experience is valuable [...]

From the 1st July 2023, we will be introducing the new "Prime PA" subscription, which PAs will need to be able to send messages to potential clients (ie, to PA Users). The new subscription will only affect the sending of message, PAs will still be able to receive and read messages under the Standard PA [...]

Employing a PA (Personal Care Assistant) can be a great way to get the support you need to maintain your independence and live your life to the fullest. Here are some tips to help you get the best experience from employing a PA: Be clear about your needs: Before you start looking for a PA, [...]

The role a PA (Personal Care Assistant), is to help your employer live a fulfilling and independent life. Here are some tips to help you provide the best experience for you and your employer: Build a good relationship: One of the most important things you can do is to build a strong relationship with your [...]

To bring you an additional level of assurance, PA Pool has partnered with Curam Care, one of the UK's largest online care platforms with over 7,000 approved and vetted carers nationwide. We're excited to announce a new feature on the PA Pool website that allows PA members to specify if they are Curam Care approved [...]

Last month, Rebecca Lewis, the Fundraising Manager for SMAUK (Spinal Muscular Atrophy UK) approached PA Pool’s founder, Katy Etherington, about a photoshoot they were organising. The charity specifically wanted some images of someone with SMA living life, living with a PA, and showing different types of equipment in order to update their marketing and social [...]

PA Pool hopes there is light at the end of the tunnel after a high court ruling led to a campaign for compensation for disabled people who have been financially disadvantaged by Universal Credit. The original case was brought by two disabled men, who took the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) to court after [...]

The University of Leeds is looking for people to help with a research project about pressure ulcer prevention. You don’t need to know anything about pressure ulcers or research to take part. They are interested in what is important to individuals and how people care for themselves (or others) day-to-day. They would like to hear [...]

At PA Pool, we are delighted to partner with Curam to provide a back-up solution for emergency care requirements.   Curam is a website and app that connects trusted and vetted carers with clients in need of care. Choice is at the heart of Curam. By directly connecting carers with clients, Curam enables people to take [...]

On Tuesday 8 November MPs debated the idea of a temporary recovery visa for industries experiencing labour and skills shortages. This was a Westminster Hall debate, led by Tim Farron MP which you can view via one of the links below: Watch the debate Read a transcript of the debate Whilst the government have put [...]

Earlier this month, PA Pool Founder Katy Etherington, was invited to take part in BBC’s Access All podcast with Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey, Baroness Jane Campbell and Anna Severwright, to talk about the ongoing PA shortage. You’ll also hear from comedian and author Rosie Jones! The episode is entitled: ‘Wet wipes and dry shampoo [...]

We recently posed a series of questions to PA Pool Founder Katy Etherington about her experiences employing a PA (Personal Assistant/Carer). If you’re not already familiar with PA Pool, it’s a dedicated website for disabled people looking to employ a PA and PAs looking for work. PA Pool is a market leader in its field, [...]