There are a range of care providers in Milton Keynes. If you need support from another person to help you carry out day-to-day activities, e.g., getting up, washing, dressing, preparing a meal, shopping, or help to access social activities, you could use the services of a care agency.
A care agency would arrange to send a paid carer in to support you on a daily, weekly, or ad-hoc basis to meet your needs.
Alternatively, you could choose to employ a personal assistant (PA) to provide your day-to-day support.
Connection Support
Suite 16, Challenge House, Sherwood Drive,
Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6DP
Tel: 01908 101330
Email: mkenquiries@connectionsupport.org.uk
The PA Employment Support Service:
The PA Employment Support Service supports people who would like to employ a personal assistant (PA) by providing initial advice, information, recruitment, and interviews.
The PA Employment Support Service supports you to meet the legal requirements of being an employer, as well as offering a payroll service.
WHO ELSE CAN HELP
Milton Keynes Centre for Integrated Living (MKCIL)
Times: 10.00am to 4.00pm (For enquiries and drop-in)
MK CIL has a disability information service open from 10.00am to 4.00pm on weekdays offering a wide range of free and confidential information for disabled people, their families, carers, and anyone else with an interest in the field of disability.
Information is available on local and national support groups, benefits, equipment, services, statutory & voluntary organisations, leisure, holidays, care, etc. and a Community Legal Service Quality Mark for information provision is held. A comprehensive database is used to provide local information.
Trained volunteers can assist with applications and appeals (by appointment ONLY) for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children, Attendance Allowance (AA) for older people, and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Employment Support Allowance (ESA) for working age adults.
There is a display area equipped with adaptations and equipment to try out and view. An equipment database, providing a comprehensive list and details of a very extensive range of equipment, can be accessed.
A wheelchair user’s weighing machine is also available to use – drop- in service.
MK CIL also offers help with online/telephone applications for Blue Badges.
RADAR keys for accessible toilets locked with the RADAR national key scheme can also be purchased for a small charge.
Access: There is Blue Badge parking to the front of the building, level access, automatic doors to the side, and accessible toilets.
Milton Keynes Sensory Services
Gloucester House, 399 Silbury Blvd
Milton Keynes, MK9 2AH
Tel: 01908 401135
SMS: 07803 452617
Email/FaceTime: mkss@bid.org.uk
Web: https://www.bid.org.uk/locations/milton-keynes/ 803 45261
Available across Milton Keynes and aims to help adults and children with sensory loss including those who are profoundly deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired or have a dual sensory loss. The aim of the service is to provide a range of resources and support to enable people with a sensory impairment to live as independently as possible.
Some of the things MKSS offers include:
- Providing information, advice and signposting to services
- Access to information about services in the community
- Central MK facility to obtain information and assessment – appointment only
- Mobility training
- Communicating with service users including British Sign Language, Deafblind Manual, Braille, Audio and Large Print
Medequip – Community Equipment Service
Hammond Road, Elm Farm Industrial Estate
Bedford, MK41 0UD
Tel: 01908 253772
Email: blmk@medequip-uk.com
Web: https://www.medequip-uk.com/contact/blmk
The MK Integrated Community Equipment Service is operated by Medequip on behalf of Milton Keynes Council and BLMK Clinical Commissioning Group. The Community Equipment Service includes delivery and installation of equipment to promote safety and independence following an assessment by a Health or Social Care Practitioner.
The service will also maintain /service any electrical items of equipment and collect the equipment when no longer required. Equipment is also available through the Request for Care & Support form, accessible through the Council website at https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/equipment-adaptations-and-community-alarm/community-equipment-loan-service
For more information on assessment, please contact the ACCESS Team at MK Council on the number below. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
BucksVision
143 Meadowcroft, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 9HH
Tel: 01296 487556
Email: reception@bucksvision.co.uk
Web: bucksvision.co.uk
BucksVision is an important point of contact for information and equipment for blind and partially sighted people in Milton Keynes.
Bucks Vision is managed and run by volunteers who all have first-hand experience with visual impairment. The equipment on display at their Resource Centres includes such things as:
- Large-button telephones
- Daylight lighting
- Talking watches and clocks
- Writing aids and electronic reading aids
- Computer equipment
Resource Centres in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury are by appointment only. Please telephone or email for any other help or guidance.
Milton Keynes Wheelchair Service
Unit 6, Centurion Court, Brick Close, Kiln Farm,
Milton Keynes MK11 3JB
Tel: 0808 164 6400
Web: miltonkeynes.wheelchair.services/
Fax: 0808 133 0183
Email: miltonkeynes@ajmhealthcare.org
Subject to eligibility, a range of wheelchairs, accessories, pressure- relieving cushions, and special seating items are available for long term loan through the Wheelchair Service. Equipment is provided free of charge or through voucher scheme funding (subject to eligibility).
The service only caters for people registered with a GP in the Milton Keynes area and who have a permanent condition which affects their ability to walk. The service does not issue wheelchairs for short term loan.
Referrals are accepted from professionals, or users can self-refer.
Office hours: Monday-Friday 9.00am-5.00pm – answerphone during busy periods.
Community Alarm
4 Woodhouse Court, Soskin Drive, Stantonbury Fields,
Milton Keynes, MK14 6GB
Tel: 01908 222616
Email: careandresponse@milton-keynes.gov.uk
Web: milton-keynes.gov.uk/community-alarm-service
Minicom: 01908 252779
Out of office: 01908 311773
Community Alarm Service
The Community Alarm Service provides a home safety and personal security system that assists people to live independently in their own homes. This is achieved through a 24-hour telephone link to a Response Centre in Milton Keynes.
All that is required is a telephone line and an electrical point. Should a sensor be activated, a message is sent to the Response Centre where trained operators take the most appropriate action – contacting a family member, neighbour, doctor, or the emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A personal trigger is also available, which enables a call for help to be raised from anywhere in the home or garden.
People who may benefit are older or disabled people, individuals who have been discharged from hospital and require additional support, people at risk of domestic violence, racial harassment, repeat victimisation or distraction burglary, those living in high-crime areas, and people of any age living alone.
Telecare Service
The Telecare Service offers alternative types of sensors, including:
Fall Detector – automatically detects a serious fall and raises an alert.
Bed Occupancy Sensor – provides an early warning if the client leaves their bed and does not return within a predetermined time.
Bogus Caller Button – fitted near a door and used to call for assistance when a stranger requests entry to your home.
Smoke Detector – if activated raises an alert at the Response Centre.
Property Exit Sensor – to detect if someone with memory loss problems leaves their home and is at risk.
Medication Dispenser – provides a reminder to take medication and will raise an alert if it is not responded to.
There may be a charge for this service dependent on which benefits the client receives.
BT Here for You
BT Plc, BT Correspondence, Providence Row,
Durham, DH98 1BT
Tel: 0330 1234 150 (Mon – Fri 8am – 9pm)
Textphone: (18001) 0800 800 150
Web: https://www.bt.com/help/here-for-you
BT offer services for elderly and disabled customers. Some of the services BT offer are free: for example, Directory Enquiries for those who have difficulty using a telephone book, free priority repair service for customers that are registered disabled, and a free scheme to protect your services if you forget to pay a phone bill in exceptional circumstances, e.g., being in hospital.
BT have standard and specialised equipment for people with a range of needs, including hearing, sight, speech and language, mobility, or dexterity difficulties, and mental health and learning disabilities. This equipment will need to be purchased or rented from BT.
BT produces a guide with information about standard and more specialised equipment and services. This is available in Large Print, Braille, and audio CD. You can request one of these guides by phoning the number above or visiting bt.com/help/here-for-you.
REMAP (MK)
National Organiser: 01732 760209
Local contact Tel: 07981 161219
Web: Remap
Email: MiltonKeynes.Enquiries@remapgroups.org.uk
REMAP (MK) is a local branch of the national organisation REMAP. Volunteers working throughout the UK design and make or adapt equipment for people with disabilities where no suitable item is available.
Across the country there are local panels of volunteers made up of technicians and designers, alongside occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The panel will take referrals from any source, and a visit will be arranged. All needs will be discussed in depth, and, provided there is no commercially available aid, and your safety is not compromised, a design or adaptation will be suggested. After the visit the design will be put to the panel, and if all is well the technicians will set to work. There is no charge for REMAP services.
British Red Cross Mobility Aids
Unit 3, Joplin Court, Crownhill,
Milton Keynes, MK8 0JP
Tel: 01908 578327
British Red Cross Mobility Aids offer equipment for the public to borrow on a short-term basis to cope at home and after hospital treatment, e.g., commodes or manual wheelchairs. However, pre-booking is advised and a fee is charged.
Opening Times:
Mon, Wed, Thur 9.30am-4pm, Fri 5pm-8pm.
Access: Medical Loans are on the ground floor of the building, and there is a lift to the rest of the building.
Buckingham Engineering Mobility Systems Ltd
Old Leighton Farm, Mursley Road, Stewkley, Buckinghamshire, LU7 0ES
Tel: 01296 720800 or 01908 221102
Web: buckinghamengineering.co.uk/
Mail: buckinghameng@gmail.com
Buckingham Engineering Mobility Systems are agents for leading manufacturers of disability aids and equipment. They have powered and manual wheelchairs and scooters for sale, hire or rental. There is a 2000-square-foot showroom with a wide range of wheelchairs and scooters for clients to try out. Second-hand stock is sometimes available, and servicing and repair can be undertaken on all makes of wheelchairs.
An extensive selection of wheelchair batteries, tyres, spare parts, and accessories is stocked. Waterproof clothing, walking aids, hoists, riser chairs, and adjustable beds are also sold. Insurance can also be arranged, and stairlifts fitted.
Access: Easy adjacent parking and wheelchair-accessible toilet.
The Centre: MK – Shopmobility
24 Silbury Arcade,
Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3DX
Tel: 01908 398115
Visit the desk in thecentre:mk, or call ahead, if you require mobility help on your visit. A range of wheelchairs are available free of charge, and pre-booking is highly recommended.
The opening hours are:
Monday-Saturday: 9.30-5pm
Sunday: 11:00am-4:00pm
Please note that you will be required to provide a photo ID and proof of your address to hire the equipment.
Free scooter hire available for. Sunflower lanyards available.
Easily accessible unisex toilets are conveniently positioned near TK Maxx in Silbury Arcade. These facilities have Changing Places status and include:
- Left- and right-transfer toilets for wheelchair users
- Adjustable adult changing tables, with electric powered hoist
- RADAR Key access (you can borrow a RADAR Key from Customer Services, near TK Maxx on Silbury Arcade)
- Emergency alarms
- Hearing loops – located at Guest Services on Silbury Arcade.