We understand that it is difficult to decide on exactly the right type of home care for you or your loved ones and we are here to help you make those decisions.
Q: How much do your services cost and can I get any help paying these fees?
We provide you with high quality services at affordable prices with no hidden costs. You can buy as little or as much as you wish. Should you wish to fully fund your own support at home from personal resources, prior to service commencement we will provide you with information about costs, a contract and terms and conditions. You will then be given the time needed to consider whether you wish to proceed with the support.
Funding
You may be entitled to some level of funding to finance your care needs so you should not rule this out until you have spoken to your Local Authority for an assessment on your financial situation. For more information please contact your local council and request a “care needs assessment” or Click Here.
Personal Budgets/Direct Payments
It is your right to be given a choice of whether you wish to buy your own services or for the local authority to make those arrangements on your behalf. A Personal Budget aims to give you more flexibility, choice and control in how your services are provided. Once you have been given an allocation of funding you can either take your budget as a direct payment so that you can buy home care services for yourself. Alternatively, you can choose who you want to provide your services but leave the local authority with the responsibility to commission them on your behalf.
Equity release
You may have started to think about how you will manage financially in the future. If you own your home and have little or no mortgage, you may be considering equity release as a way to boost your finances. It is vital to take independent financial advice before signing up to a scheme, to make sure you consider all the possibilities and implications.
Q: How long will my carer visit me for?
We will work to create a bespoke care plan for you and the amount of time you spend with your carer depends entirely on your needs. Our staff can visit you for visits lasting from 30 minutes to 24 hour care.
Q: Will I always have the same carer?
It is very important to us that a relationship develops between you and your carer and so we try to provide as much continuity as possible. This enables you to feel safe and secure. It will not always be possible to have the same carer at all times due to illness or holidays but in these cases we will organise another carer to cover these periods.
Q: What level of training do your staff go through?
Staff undertake training at induction and receive continuous personal development. We have three different levels of training:
- UNIVERSAL reflects what is expected of all. These are the core competences, values and behaviours at the heart of service provision.
- TARGETED reflects specific skill sets. Specialist provision for the individual person and considers the “blending of skills sets” e.g. family carer working alongside staff delivering training, coaching and co-producing care plans.
- SPECIALIST reflects those who require intensive input and specialism e.g., SPECAL Method for people with dementia.
Q: How do I feedback about your services?
We are committed to providing a service of excellence, which is responsive to the expressed views of people who use our services. We acknowledge the importance and value of complaints, compliments, comments or suggestions and using these to continuously improve services. In the first instance, please contact us in person, by telephone or by writing a letter or an email. Please visit our Contact page for more information on how to do so.
Externally, there are two ways to give your feedback. The first way is to tell those who regulate and inspect us by contacting the Care Quality Commission and completing the “Please tell us about your experience” form on our profile page on their website. To do so please Click Here. If you would wish to make a complaint about any of our actions, you will need to contact the ombudsman, whose job it is to investigate complaints in a fair and independent way. To contact them please Click Here.
Q: You work around the clock, what are your operating hours?
Our offices are normally open from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Aside from this, we operate an out-of-hours emergency service which you can call at any time.
Q: What safeguards do you have in place?
We are registered with the Care Quality Commission, which regulates, inspects and reviews all adult social care services in the public, private and voluntary sectors in England.
We are also full members of the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA) the national professional association for organisations who provide social care to people in their own homes. Both of these bodies have standards which set out how we should operate.
Q: How do I arrange a care service with Care 24-7?
If you would like to discuss your care service with us then please Contact Us directly. We will make an appointment for us to visit you to discuss the best care plan for you. We are happy to visit you at home to discuss ways we can help and then, once you have decided, we will do everything necessary to ensure your quality service starts as soon as possible.