Frequently Asked Questions
From the date of our initial meeting and assessment, we can usually arrange for a carer to start working with you the very same day or whenever is most suitable for you and your family.
Before we start working with you, one of our deputy managers will visit you to assess your care and support needs. This also allows you to ask us any questions you may have. Following this meeting, we prepare a care plan, which details your support needs, your likes and dislikes and your favourite routines. This care plan forms the basis of our support.
Home care is usually charged on a time basis. Homecare providers have prices for 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Costs for an hour of care vary between £20 per hour up to £40 per hour.
Carers are not allowed to visit a client outside their working hours or are not allowed to befriend the client, or take gifts from the client being cared for. It’s good practice that staff members abide by a strict professional boundaries policy whilst still providing a compassionate service tailored to the individual.
Our care workers are recruited based on their skills and caring personality, so you can expect your carers to support and understand your individual needs and preferences. You can also expect your carers to focus on getting to know you and your lifestyle so that they can provide you with the very best, most personalised service.
We know that it can be unsettling to have many different people coming into your home, so we are committed to providing you with a consistent service from regular carers. We work hard to ensure you see the same-named carers whenever possible. However, there may be times, perhaps due to annual leave or sickness absence, when a change of carer is unavoidable. In these circumstances, we still try to ensure consistency wherever we can by allocating the same ‘replacement’ carers while your usual carer is absent.
There are currently three ways you can pay for care.
- Fully funded by the Local Authority. The assessment is done on a means-tested basis.
- Direct payment – the Local Authority contributes an amount to the care costs and the user or their family top-up.
- Privately. Local Authorities can carry out a financial assessment to guide and advise people in this regard.