Round the clock complex care for Ben

Ben Uttley is one of several hundred people with complex care needs currently being cared for by Advantage Healthcare’s dedicated team of nurses and care staff.

The 27-year-old, from Burnley, has received round the clock care managed by the company’s Greater Manchester branch, for the past five years.

Ben has a range of clinical conditions including cerebral palsy and sleep apnoea. The care he requires includes receiving food and water via a tube directly into his stomach, regular medicine and oxygen at night, as well as general requirements, such as showering and getting dressed.

A team of seven provide the care package, overseen by client manager Hayley Connor. The team also take Ben out to social activities, such as watching Burnley F.C., shopping, going to the park, music lessons and karaoke.

Denise, Ben’s mum, said: “We’ve always been happy with the care. I have no worries when I go off to work, even if Ben’s not 100 per cent we know he is in good hands – and that means so much to us as parents.

“Ben needs stability, he will also let people know when he doesn’t like them, and it takes him a while to build up a rapport.

“However, his carers are absolutely fantastic. They have a really close relationship with him and he likes all of them.”

Deb Cahill and Patrick Walls, who are both senior healthcare assistants, are two of Ben’s daytime carers.

Patrick, who has been involved in the care industry for 27-years, said: “I really love working with Ben. All the staff have different things they bring to the job, Ben is happiest getting out of the house and we do that whenever possible.

“Ben is a people watcher, and he loves going out to the football.”

Deb added: “I want joy out of what I do, and I get that working with Ben. He interacts more with people he is used to, he really likes getting out and nursery rhymes.”

Hayley used to be a member of Advantage’s home-care staff before taking up her current office role as client manager. Her role involves ensuring care packages are running smoothly by liaising with clients, families and carers to resolve medical concerns, issues and complaints.

She said: “It’s my job to make sure everything is running smoothly. I really enjoy it, I worked as a carer on many of the care packages that I now manage and I’ve found that experience helps enormously.

“I get to know the family and to ensure you know what they want and get the right match of staff to the care package.”