We recognise what a big decision it is to choose someone to come and help care for you or a loved one in your own home, but with so much choice and so many options available, which is the best option to choose to meet your needs? In this article we will go through some of the different options and how to go about finding the best care provider to suit you and your needs.
What type of care support do you need?
The first thing you need to think about is what help you need in your home. Care comes in many different forms, the typical areas that people want care support with include:
- Personal care and hygiene
- Cooking and meal preparation
- Shopping and help with household duties
- Companionship and help with attending appointments (GP, Hospital appointments etc.)
- Nursing and healthcare
When it comes to care in the home, you retain control of how you use your carers and maintain a lot of flexibility.
An agency can provide homecare in a number of ways including:
- Providing short term care (less than an hour per visit)
- Providing longer term care (up to 24 hours per day)
- Providing respite care which allows family members or other carers to take a short break.
- Emergency care, if you are returning from a stay in the hospital or have a specific need
Request a care assessment
If you think that you need some care at home, you should contact the social services department and ask them for an assessment of your care and support requirements.
Once the local authority has assessed you, they will let you know if they can provide any help you need and how much financial support they can provide.
The alternative option would be for you to arrange your own care, which can still be funded by your local authority. This is done through either what is called ‘direct payments’ or a ‘personal budget’. They are designed to give you control over how your care and support is provided.
Your local authority pays direct payments, or a personal budget, to you and you choose how you want to meet your care needs. The approach that some take is to employ their own personal assistant or more commonly employ a care agency.
It’s important to think about how you are going to pay for your care and consider your budget. The cost of care is usually met through an hourly rate and the cost of this can vary.
Search for a home care provider
Do some research and create a list of care home agency providers that operate in your area.
Asking family, friends, or community groups such as a church if they know of any reputable local care providers is an effective way to start a list. You can also search online to see what care providers are in your local area.
Search on trusted sites – Looking for a care home provider can feel overwhelming, as there is a lot of choice, and being at the top of Google search results or a directory does not necessarily mean that they are the best. Look for honest reviews and researching on trusted websites such as the CQC will help, also look for your shortlisted companies on social media to help you in the decision making process.
The agencies will provide you with your support through a trained team of care workers and specialists. Also, all independent home care providers are regulated by the Care Qualities Commission, which means they have to reach minimum standards in such areas as training and record-keeping. This should help give you comfort that you will be looked after by a caring and trained specialist.
A few questions to ask your shortlisted care home agencies to help in the decision making process:
- What are the costs?
- Will I have a regular carer and do they live locally?
- What training and qualifications do they hold?
- What will my visit timings be and are there minimum requirements?
- How soon can they start?
- What is the average length of service and the specialism of the care workers?
- How will you choose the right care worker for me?
- How will you (the care agency) and my carer communicate with me?
- Are there any additional charges that I need to meet? (Travel expenses etc.)
- Do you have insurance in case of damage to the property by a care worker?
- Can you engage in a trial period to see how it works out?
- Will care workers have direct access to my house?
How can Healthcare Employment Partners help?
Healthcare Employment Partners is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and can provide a wide range of services to support you or a loved one with in the home care.
These services include:
- Home Care
- Home Help
- Respite Care
- Live in care
Our range of outstanding services are available in our Care Options section. Here you can find out more about each service.
We understand that looking for care for yourself or a loved one can be a daunting process, which is why we make it as simple as possible. We can help you find the right match.
Good luck with your search for care. We hope you find the right care provider for you.
If you would like to speak with our friendly care experts, then you can call us on 01733 972 109 or email us on info@healthcareemploymentpartners.co.uk
