Do you use a care agency to care for yourself, a relative etc?

[trinidad]

Currently have a relative being cared for by a care agency. I am not too keen on the care and wonder if anyone receives good quality care from a care agency?

[HanW]

Hello - we use Home Instead for my father who is living with dementia and Parkinson’s and has 24 hour live in care. We use a midlands branch where my father lives but I would hope the quality of their services is throughout the region. There is a Dulwich / Lambeth / Wandsworth branch

https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/wandsworth-lambeth/

Hope your friend is ok.

[apbremer]

I have a chum who has an agency carer. He pays £200 per day for two days a week. He asked the carer how much he got of this outrageous charge. He said “less than £40”. Disgraceful.

[Pugwash]

Is the care being provided via local social service dept? Has your relative received an assessment of their needs from a social worker?

You may wish to look at the possibility of having a Personal Budget which allows freedom to choose own carers and pay them directly. It is quite a difficult thing to explain but look up Age UK or Independent Age's web site as they both have explanatory booklets/leaflets.

[trinidad]

Hello - we use Home Instead for my father who is living with dementia and Parkinson’s and has 24 hour live in care. We use a midlands branch where my father lives but I would hope the quality of their services is throughout the region. There is a Dulwich / Lambeth / Wandsworth branch

https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/wandsworth-lambeth/

Hope your friend is ok.

 

Thanks for this, the friend has dementia and he has carers coming in several times a day. It was orgnisaed by adult social care and the service is terrible.

[trinidad]

Is the care being provided via local social service dept? Has your relative received an assessment of their needs from a social worker?

You may wish to look at the possibility of having a Personal Budget which allows freedom to choose own carers and pay them directly. It is quite a difficult thing to explain but look up Age UK or Independent Age's web site as they both have explanatory booklets/leaflets.

 

wow, so the builk of the money goes to the agency. This personal budget system sounds interesting, I am expecting a call from the allocated social worker tomorrow so i will talk to her about personal budget and maybe google might help, thank you :)

[beansprout]

From my experience, carers get paid roughly £11.00 per hour. Homeinstead have a minimum period of an hour per visit. Some other agencies only give carers 15 minutes then off to the next one.

I assume your relative would like to remain in their own home.

There are some good care homes in East Dulwich.

[Pugwash]

I would look up Age UK/Independent Age leaflets before talking to social worker. Some SWs are not fully conversant with PB and may not give you enough information.

If you go for a PB and organise your own carers you effectively become an employer dealing with NI/Tax etc. However, there are organisations that will administer all the paperwork.