Homecare is different for everybody. Your needs, preferences and daily life is unique, and so your homecare providers will adapt their services to meet those needs. To make sure this can happen, an assessment or multiple assessments are carried out before your homecare first begins.
How others will ask for what you need
If you are accessing homecare via a referral from a hospital or council, you will likely have a home visit or phone consultation with your local social services team and healthcare providers such as a GP first. This will be to assess your needs and help devise a homecare plan.
They will ask about your daily life, your current levels of comfort and mobility, anything you’re finding difficult, and any healthcare needs you need support with, such as taking medications or going to appointments.
Your homecare provider should ask about your needs, and conduct a thorough assessment of your needs before homecare begins. You can read more about your initial homecare visits here.
How you like to live your daily life is important
During this assessment stage, don’t be afraid to talk about the parts of your everyday life which are important to you – when you like to wake up and go to bed, when you tend to eat and drink, the activities you like to do or rooms you prefer to be in. All these things may seem small or unimportant, but they all add up to support the best daily life for you. Small modifications or changes or improvements to your support or to your home can make all the difference, and can drastically improve your day.
If you’re accessing homecare for yourself, you might like to have a family member or friend with you during your assessment who can support you and ask questions too.
It’s OK to ask questions of your care provider
If you’re accessing homecare privately, you can ‘shop around’ and speak to different providers to find a good match for you. They should be able to answer any questions you have promptly over the phone, or come out to meet you in your home for a free initial consultation. Make sure any provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC website contains reports on all registered care providers in the UK, which you can access and read for free.
Once your homecare begins, you might want to change the level or type of care you receive. If you don’t feel comfortable asking your carers, you can call the service provider themselves. They will be keen to provide the right homecare for you.
Get free, impartial advice
For accurate, up to date general information and support about homecare, your county’s adult social services department and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau can offer advice and answer questions you may have. Nationwide, Age UK’s advice line can also provide advice and support 8AM-7PM, 365 days of the year on 0800 678 1602.
Contact us
Ethica is an experienced provider of home care across the county of Hertfordshire. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about home care – contact us by phone on 01442 501162, or by email at herts.team@ethicacare.co.uk. We’re open Monday-Friday 9AM-5.30PM and Saturday-Sunday 8AM-6PM.
For queries outside of Hertfordshire, you can contact our London office on 0207 1128186 or via email at team@ethicacare.co.uk.
