More flexible care in London
15/10/2007
Vitalise, the national disability charity which provides respite breaks for disabled people and carers, has merged with the care organisation London Care Connections (LCC) to improve the quality of life for disabled people, older people and carers in the London area.
The merger will enable Vitalise to expand its range of services from centre-based short breaks and day services into longer-term home care delivered by professional staff and volunteers.
London Care Connections, which specialises in home-based personal care for ill, disabled or elderly Londoners and family carers, runs the Homeshare project, and offers information and practical help for people to plan for their care needs and obtain wider forms of help. Vitalise is a national charity providing essential respite breaks for disabled people and carers through a growing range of community-based services and at its five accessible Centres around the UK.
Vitalise Chief Executive Jonathan Powell said: “With an increase in the provision of social care by non-statutory organisations, it is vital that we all share our expertise and skills in order to meet requirements. This merger will enable us to broaden the service we offer to disabled people and carers and respond to a real need for direct and practical care solutions in communities and homes in London and beyond.
“Vitalise runs one of the largest and most diverse volunteer programmes in the UK. With the help of our dedicated staff and volunteers, this merger will enable us to further expand the range of services we currently offer and devise new ways of providing support.”
Andy Murphy, Chief Executive of London Care Connections said: “This will create the means to link local, regional and national activities, continuing our current work and creating the potential to offer more flexible forms of care and support.”
Vitalise currently provides over 8,000 weeks of respite breaks every year and caters for over 150 different disabilities. They have over 6,000 trained volunteers who assist the charity’s professional care staff in non-nursing roles every year. London Care Connections is a partnership between the charities KC Carers and Homeshare, specialising in helping relieve stresses caused by isolation, problems living safely at home, anxieties about coping with everyday life and emotional difficulties.
Vitalise is at: 12 City Forum, 250 City Road, London EC1V 8AF, telephone 020 7017 3432, or visit the first link below. For more information about London Care Connections, visit the second of the links.