Four in five disabled people want to be more active but demand is not being met. Only two in five feel they are given the opportunity to be as active as they would like to be. Worryingly, this level of inequality is resulting in a more negative experience, including social isolation for many disabled people. [...]
Read MoreIf you missed the Queen’s Speech on 14 December then you may not be aware of a couple of Government policy plans which will impact on disabled people. First and foremost, a new National Disability Strategy (NDS) was announced saying that, “We want to transform the lives of disabled people, ensuring they have access to [...]
Read MoreUKDHM takes place each year between 22 November and 22 December, though many events and activities take place outside of this time slot. It is supported by more than 100 organisations, including the NUT. The period purposely covers World HIV/AIDS Day (1 December), International Day of People with Disabilities (3 Dec) and International Human Rights [...]
Read MoreGood news as the Government has confirmed that the freeze in benefit payments is to come to an end in April next year. The freeze, which was originally announced in 2015 during that year’s Budget, ends former Chancellor George Osborne's decision to introduce a freeze from April 2016. As a result, the DWP (Department for [...]
Read MoreDid you know that 7.6m working age people in the UK have a disability? If you’re not actively recruiting talent, then your competitors probably already are! The Disability Confident scheme helps employers make the most of talents that disabled people can bring to your workplace and over 13,000 organisations have already signed up. Disability Confident [...]
Read MoreThree new website features are coming soon to PA Pool! Highlighted profile for PA’s/Carers to attract more work with our new Premium PA feature Evaluate your Carer or your employer with our improved Star Ratings feature Identify when you are free for work or let PA's know exactly when you need cover with our new [...]
Read MoreDo you employ your own personal care assistants? Exciting news! PA users can apply for money for training to develop their own skills as an employer and to pay for training for their PAs. If you’re a PA user, find out more and download the application form from the Skills for Care website. If you’re [...]
Read MoreThere’s a whole workforce of disabled people out there, just looking for the right opportunity… There’s no reason why disabled people cannot be valued members of staff, but they are often overlooked because employers find it awkward to deal with a disability, cannot see past that disability, or wrongly assume that it means they can’t [...]
Read MorePA Pool is an alternative to care agencies, a quicker and more cost effective way than using an agency to find a carer – or for personal care assistants looking for new clients… Finding a Personal Care Assistant (PA or Carer) is not simple. It’s not like employing someone to work in an office – [...]
Read MorePA Pool are pleased to announce that we have now partnered with Surewise.com to offer our members 20% off your self-employed carers insurance. As a self-employed carer, there are many responsibilities you need to think about, from taxes and communicating with your clients effectively, to protecting yourself should anything go wrong. When managing your own [...]
Read MoreNHS England is running a people’s experience survey to understand the progress of implementation of personal health budgets, integrated personal budgets and personal wheelchair budgets. Please help us promote this survey to as many budgets holders as possible so we can hear a wide range of views. It’s vitally important that we hear directly from [...]
Read MoreIt’s long overdue, but five new disability champions have been appointed by the government to ensure businesses don’t forget about their disabled customers. The five - listed below - will join 14 existing champions who have already made great strides in improving accessibility from industries as diverse as insurance to music. Using their industry influence, [...]
Read MoreLatest image-based characters used in text messages and social media include disabled characters… Who needs words when you have emojis? The image-based characters are used across social media and text messages and include things as varied as aubergines and Christmas trees. Yet until recently, disabled people were not well represented. However, the latest batch of [...]
Read MoreIf you employ personal assistants (PAs) or carers, using a personal budget from health and/or social care or with your own money, you can apply for funding to pay for training… If you’re a PA User - find out more and download the application form from the Skills for Care website. If you’re a PA, [...]
Read MoreOh tidings of comfort and joy may be the chorus line from ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ but in Philadelphia, US, this year Santa has brought comfort and calm to an autistic teenager. Michelle Arnold Healy takes her son - 19-year-old Jack – to see Santa in their local shopping mall every year. Sadly, Jack [...]
Read MoreThe name Briony Williams will no doubt be familiar to fans of the Great British Bake-Off, but for those who don’t follow the series, you might be interested to learn that Briony, a former contestant, has a disability - her left hand stops at the wrist. At no point did the show mention her disability [...]
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