Direct Payment

As the Senior Self-Directed Coordinator, I support Southend residents in navigating the direct payment process. I provide information, advice, and guidance to help direct payment users become employers, understand their employer responsibilities, and recruit personal assistants who can meet their eligible needs.
I also bring personal experience to this role. My husband receives a direct payment following a rugby accident that left him paralysed from the neck down. We use his direct payment to employ personal assistants who know him well and can provide person-centred, holistic support. This lived experience gives me a unique insight into the challenges and rewards of managing a direct payment.
Before joining the team, I took a career break to raise our daughter and son. In my spare time, I enjoy keeping active at the gym and planning family adventures.

I joined Southend Care with 15 years’ experience as a SDS co-ordinator, supporting clients through the minefield of Direct Payments.
My favourite part of my role is meeting clients and finding the right service for them.
If the client has multiple care calls per day and needs support from an agency we can signpost them or their families to agencies that have agreed to competitive rates. If clients care hours are for accessing the community or help around their home matching them with PA’s who will support them in their daily lives
In my spare time I enjoy crafts from knitting to glass etching, and I follow F1 with a passion.