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November 2009

RADAR recognises PA Pool for “Doing Care & Support Differently”!

PA Pool has been named as one of six finalists in the Doing Care and Support Differently category in RADAR’s People of the Year Awards 2009.

RADAR's People of the Year Awards, celebrates excellence and achievement by both disabled people and those organisations with a commitment to furthering the equality agenda for disabled people.

 Director/founder Katy Etherington is a PA user and has employed PAs for 12 years;

“Currently there is a massive push towards giving disabled people more control, especially over their care and support, but most methods of recruitment donít actually facilitate that. I developed PA Pool to make the recruitment process more accessible, interactive and more empowering not only for the thousands of people who need support to live independently or are looking for work in the care field, but also the increasing number of families who need help to care for elderly relatives.”

Since PA Pool's launch in June 2007 the member base has grown to over 4500 PAs and PA users, and each month these figures are growing. People all over the UK are benefiting from the service, the reduced effort of finding a PA, or PA employment, and the peace of mind having a dedicated resource brings. Becoming a PA does not always require qualifications or experience, so PA Pool provides opportunities to many job seekers who might otherwise find it difficult to find employment, as well as encouraging students studying medical or care related courses to gain valuable work experience by undertaking temporary PA jobs during their holidays. PA Pool provides the resource to enable independence or gain experience, ultimately helping people to make a greater contribution to society.

The finalists will attend a black tie dinner to be held at held at Battersea Evolution on the 28th November. “It's great when you find an idea that enables you to personally overcome a particular problem. When that idea solves the same problem for others too - its even better! If you get recognition and someone actually tells you that your idea is good - it's fantastic! This is the 4th award nomination PA Pool has received since its launch, I feel very proud.”

November 2009

Featured in the ILF's new Living magazine!

The Independent Living Fund has launched a new magazine for over 21,000 disabled people as part of its 21st anniversary celebrations.

The new magazine, ‘Living’ , has been specially designed to be a practical and interesting lifestyle/feature-based publication containing ILF news, information, inspiring user stories and practical advice. Katy Etherington founder and director of PA Pool is proud to be featured on the centre spread of this first edition!

 ILF Chief Executive, Patrick Boyle, said, “We pride ourselves on our ongoing relationships with our users through consultation, co-production and providing clear accessible information. Living magazine is another excellent tool to help us do this.

Our users have been involved in the creation of from the very start, so itís a real example of our users views informing what we do.

We want ILF users to take ownership of and think it can help empower them to make the best possible use of the support that is available to live truly independent lives.”

‘Living’ was launched at the ILF annual conference on 12 October 2009, which this year carried a theme of 21 years of making choice real for disabled people. This first special edition features 21 voices of ILF users, carers and its staff giving real life perspectives on the significant contribution the organisation has made over the last two decades. For more information about ‘Living’ please contact David Smith on 07779 083493. Or if you would like to find out more about the ILF or download a digital copy of the magazine visit www.ilf.org.uk

Published in Hemel Hempstead Today: 21 July 2009

Woman makes national business awards

Berkhamsted's Katy Etherington has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Her condition means she has been a wheelchair user since childhood and relies on full time carers to help her live independently.

But this has not stopped the 36-year-old, who is a freelance graphic designer, from setting up a successful businesses, PA Pool, which has been named one of the UK's top businesses in the government backed 2009 Barclays Trading Places Awards.

The Berkhamsted entrepreneur is now in the running for national glory in the finals to be held later this year.

Miss Etherington, who lives on Berkhamsted High Street, set up PA Pool because she found it difficult to find the right people to provide her much needed care.

Frustrated with existing recruitment methods, she set up an online database, www.papool.co.uk, in June 2007 which is designed for PAs looking for work and people in need of carers.

Today, the site has more than 4000 members.

Miss Etherington explained: "I feel very honoured to be up for this award. I was nominated for a different category last year and it really brings it home what I've achieved.

"Now I have four PAs who help out, but before I really struggled to find one. I saw a gap in the market and I now I feel proud that I have not only solved a problem for myself but for others too."

Miss Etherington, who still works as a graphic designer, plans to team up with the authorities in the near future to provide recruitment solutions for disabled people receiving Direct Payments and to develop a corporate side aimed at sourcing staff for care homes.

She also hopes PA Pool will enable businesses to hire staff to assist disabled employees in the workplace.

Barclays marketing director for local business, John Davis, a judge on the panel, said: "We hope Katy's story will inspire other budding entrepreneurs in Berkhamsted who face similar difficulties to come forward and turn their own business dreams into reality."

The awards recognise business heroes who overcome adversity- whether it is dealing with illness, disability or family responsibilities .

 If Miss Etherington wins she will be given £5,000 and a further £2,000 worth of computer software from awards supporter Microsoft.

December 2008

PA Pool celebrates another award success!

PA Pool was named as one of four finalists in the Creative Innovation category at the Hertfordshire Business Awards 2008.

The Hertfordshire Business Awards celebrate the achievements of businesses throughout the county and the Creative Innovation Award award recognises businesses who are prepared to conceive, test and practice new ideas.

PA Pool founder Katy Etherington who has muscle weakening condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy told the judges; "Historically, the only way of recruiting was advertising in local newspapers and magazines which was expensive and job information restricted to a limited number of words. The introduction of the internet opened up new places to advertise, but still using the conventional advert format. It was a one way process with no way of predicting what response you might receive, or the overall suitability of candidates. I was frustrated not being able to actively look for people who fulfilled my requirements and by time wasters not reading my advert properly!"

The lack of a dedicated resource for PA recruitment was a distinct gap in a growing market, and from that the concept of PA Pool was born. A completely new idea - its aim, to make the recruitment process easier, more cost effective and offer employers and jobseekers the facility to interact with each other. PA Pool holds a growing, UK wide database of PAs and PA users, which each member can browse or search using specific criteria. Members complete a profile about themselves and the person/job they're looking for, along with any specific needs/relevant experiences. There is also the option to search for emergency cover allowing PA users to source available PAs immediately, giving greater peace of mind.

The finalists attended a black tie dinner held at Knebworth Barns on the 28th November. "It's great when you find an idea that enables you personally to overcome a particular problem. When that idea solves the same problem for others too - its even better! If you get recognition and someone actually tells you that your idea is good - it's fantastic!"

June 2008

PA Pool makes Eastern Region Finals at the Barclays Trading Places Awards!

PA Pool has been selected as one of the top ten businesses
in the Eastern Region.

Barclays Trading Places is a uniquely focused set of Awards for anyone who has taken the challenge to change their life -
by setting up a business. The government backed Awards, presented in association with The Prince’s Trust, National Federation of Enterprise Agencies, The Sun, JobCentrePlus, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Microsoft, feature practical examples of people who have taken control of their lives by deciding to go it alone.

PA Pool founder Katy Etherington who has muscle weakening condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy told the judges; "I have never been one to accept things as they are if I have the ability to change them. I am a full time wheelchair user who requires 24 hour personal assistance and the problems I had recruiting the right Personal Assistants (carers, or PAs) often prevented me from living my life on the most basic of levels, let alone allowing me to do the things I wanted to do. From the simple desire to make the process of recruitment easier and more effective for both myself and other people like me, the idea of PA Pool was born."

At a special award luncheon at the Hilton hotel in Cambridge on the 27th June, John Davis the Marketing Director of Local Business from Barclays Plc presented Katy with her certificate. "I’m so proud to have been selected and so happy that people are really finding PA Pool a useful tool. It has certainly changed my life for the better!"

Since PA Pool's launch in June 2007 it has accrued a member base of almost 2000 personal assistants and disabled people and each month these figures are growing. "The response and feedback has been better than I ever dreamed of! People really seem to be benefiting from the service, the reduced hassle of finding a good PA and the peace of mind that having a dedicated resource brings."

Happy 1st Birthday to us!

On the 1st June 2008, PA Pool, the website for PA Users (disabled people) who are recruiting and for PAs (carers) who are looking for work, celebrated its first birthday.

PA Pool has received a fantastic response from users and supporters alike and in its first 12 months has provided a much needed resource to over a thousand PA Users and PAs. The member total now stands at over 2000 and is growing every day.

"I think PA Pool is great for PA Users to select and employ the best PA." Agnes Simon

"PA pool is highly appreciated! It is the fastest and most effective way to find a carer job." Kitty Stubbe

"What I like best is that I can find out a little about the individual PA's who were looking for work, as presented by themselves, prior to deciding on whether or not to contact them." Mary-Ellen Archer

"Thanks for all your hard work I found a great job!" Mateja Jereb

"Just stumbled across your site - exactly what my wife and I have needed for years - you absolute genius! - going to wake her up and tell her... THANK-YOU!" James Catchpole

 Director Katy Etherington says "There is obviously a great need for this type of resource and I am so pleased people are really benefitting from it". The website is currently under further development and Katy has plans for expanding the website. "I have been approached by many organisations who would benefit from being able to use PA Pool. My plan is to build a corporate side to the service, so non individuals can post their requirements and identify suitably experienced people through PA Pool."