FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Question: I’m interested in finding out about your service but am having difficulty reading the pages, can you help?
Answer: We can email or post information in any size or style font required. We can also provide any colour font or background required.
‘EASY READ’ information also available.
Question: What groups of people does ‘Out & About & Away’ work with?
Answer: ‘Out & About & Away’ works with adults and children. We work with adults with physical disabilities, adults with visual impairment, adults with learning difficulties, adults with chronic health problems, adults with terminal illnesses and adults with mental health problems. We also work with elderly people. We work with children with any special need.
Question: What sort of things would ‘Out & About & Away’ support me to do?
Answer: Anything you like really. Retail therapy, swimming, cinema, theatre, music gigs, attending evening classes, church services, meeting friends, museums, car boot sales, craft fairs, nostalgic steam train rides, weekends away, holidays or even a mystery trip. The list is endless.
Question: What support will I be able to receive from ‘Out & About & Away’?
Answer: Whatever support you need. You might just need someone to push your wheelchair, or you might need a bit of help with personal care. We can support our clients with feeding and taking their medication. We can even support someone who is totally dependent on other people for all their care.
Question: What if I need more specialist support such as PEG feeding, administration of Insulin, or Rescue Medication for epileptic seizures?
Answer: We can arrange any specialist training that is required to assist you. Most of our Support Workers are trained in PEG feeding and epilepsy.
Question: Do I have to contact ‘Out & About & Away’ myself or can someone else do it for me?
Answer: No, you can ask a friend, a relative, a carer, your Social Worker or your Home Care Manager to contact us on your behalf.
Question: Will there be an assessment?
Answer: We will need to make sure that we get your support needs right. This means providing the right staff, sorting out the right type of transport, and arranging any equipment you might need. We will need to know what your medical needs are as well. We will also carry out any risk assessments.
Question: Will you need to come to my home to make the assessment?
Answer: No we can meet you somewhere else, or you can come to our office. You can bring someone with you for support if you like. If you live a long way from Bristol we can have a chat over the phone.
Question: Can ‘Out & About & Away’ take me out with a friend or a group of friends?
Answer: Yes, we can take you out on your own, with a friend or in a group.
Question: What are the transport options?
Answer: If you have a car of your own (possibly a Motability car) we may be able to take you out in your own car. We use community transport, public transport such as buses and trains, and we use taxis. We will always try to find the cheapest option if at all possible. If you’re going to be travelling late at night a taxi would probably be the best option.
Question: Can the Out & About & Away staff pick me up from my home?
Answer: Yes if you want the staff to travel with you from your home we can arrange that. They might need somewhere to leave their car parked. If you don’t want staff to come to your house they can meet up with you somewhere else. Perhaps your parents or a carer could drop you off.
Question: Do I have to agree to receiving a regular service from Out & About & Away?
Answer: No. You can use Out & About & Away as much or as little as you want. If you wish we can provide a regular service such as a weekly trip to the cinema, or we can arrange occasional outings, or even just sort out your summer holiday every year.
Question: What if I need support to go out with my family for a day trip, or a party or even a family holiday?
Answer: We can accompany you so that your family can thoroughly enjoy themselves. We can support you to have a holiday with your family, we will provide all the care and do all the ‘sleep-ins’ so that your family can unwind and chill out.
Question: As ‘Out & About & Away’ is based in Bristol does that mean that the service is only for people living in and around Bristol?
Answer: Obviously if you live a long way from Bristol it wouldn’t be feasible to take you out on a day trip or for an evening out. We can however, arrange holidays and weekends away for people who don’t live in the Bristol area.
Question: What if I need equipment such as a hoist or bedsides to be able to go away on holiday?
Answer: We can hire any equipment that you require.
Question: What if I want to go abroad?
Answer: No problem. We can arrange an overseas holiday for you and even help you to sort out a passport.
Question: What if I’m not well enough to go out on the trip or for the holiday?
Answer: We would have to charge a cancellation fee; the amount would depend on what the trip was and how much notice we had that it was being cancelled. We would not charge you for the Support Workers unless they had already set off to pick you up or rendezvous with you, in which case we would charge you for their travelling time. Tickets bought in advance would have to be paid for as would any booked holidays.
Question: Can you arrange holiday insurance for me?
Answer: Yes, and we would strongly recommend insurance for short breaks or holidays.
Question: How much does ‘Out & About & Away’ charge?
Answer: We charge by the hour for our Support Workers.
During the week this is £10.85 per hour. At weekends it is £12.00 per hour. If you’re going on holiday and need someone to keep an eye on you overnight our sleep-in rate is £45.00 per night. On top we charge an Administration Fee of: £20.00 for a half day trip or evening. £35.00 for a day trip or afternoon and evening trip. £75.00 for a weekend away. £150.00 for a holiday in the UK or Ireland. £250.00 for a holiday abroad.
Question: How will I pay for my trips out with ‘Out & About & Away’?
Answer: The best way to pay for your trips out with us is to use your Direct Payments. If you’re not currently receiving Direct Payments you can ask your Social Worker for an assessment. You can of course use any other money though, such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
