“Choosing a quality care provider for yourself or a loved one is a life-changing decision”
Barry Sweetbaum MBE, Founder
and MD
Many of the initial calls we receive at SweetTree are from clients and families unsure about the type of support they need, or who are worried about having an as-yet unknown carer providing help at home.
We know that it can feel daunting when starting out your search for a home care provider – and we understand how important it is that you feel completely confident with your choice.
When choosing your home care provider, you aren’t just trusting them to help you maintain your health, your lifestyle and your well-being - you’re also trusting them to help you maintain who you are.
Choosing the right home care provider can transform your quality of life by providing practical and emotional support and companionship. We have credited this guide to hopefully help you in choosing the appropriate home care service for you.
Contents
1. Start your Research
1.1. Prepare a List of Needs
1.2. Think About Amount and Frequency of Care
1.3. Aim for a Better Quality of Life
2. Make Use of Available Resources
2.1. Obtain Financial Advice
2.2. Gain Input from Others
2.3. Seek Professional Advice
2.4. Read the CQC Report
3. Review the Agency’s Standards and Procedures
3.1. Ask for an Assessment
3.2. Meet your Carer
3.3. Check their Training Standards
3.4. Enquire about Team Consistency
3.5. Understand the Service’s Flexibility
3.6. Review their Emergency Protocol
Start your Research
Whether you would benefit from having a carer for a few hours a week to help around the house, or you require live-in support for more specialist care, it’s hugely important to take your time and do your research first to ensure that the home care provider you select can fully meet your needs.
You might want to ask a family member or close friend to help you evaluate the various home care options in your area.
Online directories are available to search for care services locally. Simply pop in your preferred location and preferences as instructed.
The logos below link to industry recommended directories:
1.1.Prepare a List of Needs
Make a list of all your needs, tasks, key questions, expectations and of course concerns you might have - be ready for that initial conversation with care providers.
It’s also worth considering how your needs may change over time and if the home care provider has the capacity to increase the amount of care in the future - Can they provide flexible care? Are there charges involved?
1.2. Think about the Amount and Frequency of Care
Most people requiring care for the first time won't know the hours of support they require straight away.
Think about how much care you are likely to need during each visit, find out if the home care provider has sufficient resources to meet your requirements. Do they have an hourly minimum support visit? Can this visit incorporate light household chores? Will the carer have enough time to perform their duties? Would a shorter visit be challenging if you are feeling tired or unwell?
If you can commit to a few hours of care for each visit, this will give the carer time to get to know you and your preferences.
SweetTree provide a minimum of three hours’ care per visit (regardless of the frequency of visits) to enable staff to provide comprehensive care.
1.3. Aim for a Better Quality of Life
Rather than simply ensuring the care provider can meet your needs, it’s also worth viewing home help as an opportunity to improve your quality of life.
Look for home care providers that offer an innovative approach to care that enables you to socialise, engage with your local community and pursue interests.
If care provider only looks at very basic health and hygiene needs, can high quality care be achieved? If your culture, preferences and interests are considered a carer can truly understand you and what makes you happy.
‘Consider whether the home care service you are receiving improves your quality of life. If not, we probably shouldn’t be there’.
Matthew Mills, Operations Director
2.Make Use of Available Resources
Your local council, professionals or even your immediate environment can help you understand your options and provide valuable advice.
Reviews from existing clients can also give you insights on the quality of the care provided.
Homecare.co.uk is a trusted platform for home care agencies, since all reviews must follow a thorough verification process. Other sites, such as Trustpilot, are also useful.
Did you know?
Your local authority is obliged to provide you with access to good quality information about help and support that might be available.
Find your local authority by postcode
2.1.
Obtain Financial Advice
Find out what support is available to you, as you may be entitled to financial help. Start with the social care system. This means contacting your local authority (council) and asking for an assessment of your care needs, called a ‘Needs Assessment’. The care is means tested, so any assets you have (including savings and the value of your home) will be considered by the authority. You might be eligible for care but be expected to fund it yourself.
You may also be eligible for Attendance Allowance or NHS Attendance Allowance; this is funded by the Department of Work & Pensions and is tax-free and not means tested. NHS Continuing Care is a package of care funded by the NHS if you are assessed as having a primary health need.
2.2. Gain Input from Others
If you have friends or relatives who have employed a home care provider, talk to them about their experiences and what has worked for them.
‘You should definitely talk to other people who have received care at home to find out what home care really looks like in your community and attempt to find out where the best services are.
● What have they found most beneficial and what pitfalls have they encountered?
● What process did they go through to ensure they made the right decision?
● Would they recommend the home care provider they are currently using?
And don’t forget how important it is to involve a family member or close friend when doing your research – it can be invaluable to have someone to talk things over with and they may well come up with questions you hadn’t thought of’.
Barry Sweetbaum MBE Founder and MD
Carers UK is a charity aimed at making life better for carers and can provide advice by email or phone nationwide.
2.3. Seek Professional Advice
If you do not know of anyone who has used a home care provider, then seek advice and support from local healthcare professionals.
Talk to your GP or your district nurse as they will have had experiences of home care providers. Local carer networks and groups can also be an invaluable source of information.
Did you know?
SweetTree’s assessments and ongoing reviews are free of charge with no obligation. Please contact a member of the team if you would like some initial advice or support.
Tel: 0207 624 9944
2.4. Read the CQC Report
Every home care provider will have regular inspections of its services or facilities from the Care Quality Commission (also known as CQC). The Care Quality Commission produces a report – known as a CQC Report – that rates the quality of the service in terms of whether it is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
This means that the CQC will have checked that the service protects clients from harm, offers treatment and support that achieves good outcomes and that staff are compassionate and services are organised so they are able to meet your needs.
CQC also check whether the leadership and management of the care home provider enables the service to provide high-quality care. It’s advisable to choose a home care provider with a positive rating in all five categories to improve your chances of receiving the best possible care.
Home care providers publish CQC reports on their website and you can also find them on the Care Quality Commission’s website by searching for the name of the care provider.
Following the inspection, providers obtain a rating that goes from Inadequate to Outstanding.
3.Review the Agency’s Standards and Procedures
Once you have a shortlist of preferred providers, it is crucial to understand their procedures and ask the right questions.
Think about their carer recruitment and training standards, assessment process, flexibility, hidden costs and more.
3.1. Ask for an Assessment
Before accepting someone as a new client, home care agencies should make every effort to get to know you and your individual requirements. They should offer to come and see you at a convenient time and discuss your needs in detail.
The prospective home care provider should provide you with a comprehensive assessment, asking very relevant questions – not just about medical needs or care needs or risk assessments.
The assessment questions should look at quality of life outcomes –what will make a difference to the person who is going to be receiving care?
You may want to speak to several home care providers and meet each of them separately before making a decision. Ideally, the assessment should be free as you may meet with organisations that you do not choose. It’s always best to ask two or three companies to see who you and your family like best.
3.2. Meet your Carer (If You Have Time!)
Receiving the appropriate care is clearly important, but if you are going to have a regular carer then you need to be sure you’ll get along.
Ideally it’s best if you have some common interests so that you can chat comfortably and explore those interests, rather than just talking about what you’d like for breakfast.
Referring back to the initial care assessment... Did the home care provider ask you those important life questions?
SweetTree tries to match up people’s interests; our team members have their own personal profile that explains the kind of work they’ve done in the past and their interests and hobbies. It’s important for both parties to consider- Can you have a good conversation about something you both enjoy?
3.3. Check their Training Standards
This may sound obvious but it’s important to ensure that the training and experience of your carer matches your needs.
For example, if you have a specific care need or diagnosis, it is vital to find a carer with relevant experience and training.
● Does the home care provider have specialist services for specific needs such as dementia?
● Is the care team specially trained?
● What experience does the service manager have?
● Do they have input from in-house clinicians?
3.4. Enquire About Team Consistency
While everyone needs to have holidays, the key to receiving good care is a consistent relationship with a care team you know and like.
Ask the home care provider if they can provide the same care team (ideally up to two people) with the exception of sickness or holidays, so that you aren’t opening your door to carers you’ve never met.
It’s useful for you and the carer if they get to know your family or a key family member, such as a son or daughter who is involved in your care.
If everyone communicates regularly, it will benefit you and the carer and enable you to build a stronger relationship.
A good carer will talk to both the family and the client to find out the things that are important to them when receiving support. It’s the small things that often make a huge
Alicia François, Director of Specialist Services
3.5. Understand the Service’s Flexibility
Ensure you are able to choose another carer if you feel that the person caring for you isn’t suitable or you don’t get along with them for any reason. That you can make changes to your care package and that your care is regularly reviewed for quality assurance.
● Can you cancel your care visits at short notice?
For example, at SweetTree, you can cancel your care visit/s by calling the office team with up to 48 hours’ notice to avoid any service charges.
● Can you change your carer?
Care packages should be designed to be flexible to accommodate changing care needs. At SweetTree, you can make changes to your care package or request a different care team member.
● How can you cancel the services should you wish to?
Clients are free to change or end their care and support with SweetTree at no cost with 7 days’ notice.
3.6. Review the Emergency Protocol
● Ask the home care provider if they can be contacted in the event of an emergency
● Can you reach them out of normal office hours?
● What policy do they have if the carer visits you and you feel unwell or need medical treatment?
● What will the provider do if a carer arrives at the clients home and there is no answer?
● Do they have a registered manager to speak to? (This is a CQC requirement)
