Home Care in Chesham

Chesham has 6 CQC registered home care agencies. 4 are rated Good, and 2 have not yet been rated. 4 of the 6 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

What home care in Chesham involves and what to look for

Support at home works or fails on one thing above all others: whether the same small group of carers turns up when they said they would. The tasks themselves are rarely in dispute, covering help with washing and dressing, prompting medication, preparing meals, shopping and companionship. Visits are arranged in agreed slots of an agreed length, and the number of hours is normally settled through an assessment before any provider is approached.

What the ratings show

Four of the providers serving Chesham are rated Good, among them Chesham Supported Living and PAI Healthcare Ltd, and two have not yet been rated. Where a report exists, open it and read the sections on staffing and on leadership, because those bear most directly on whether visits happen as promised and whether problems are dealt with. Where no rating has been published, as with This is Homecare, ask instead how long the registered manager has been in post, how long the carers have been with the agency, and whether the provider can put you in touch with an existing client.

Questions worth asking before you commit

Ask how many different carers would normally attend and what happens when the regular one is off sick or on holiday. Ask about the minimum visit length, whether travel time is charged, and how much notice is needed to change or cancel a visit. Check who takes responsibility for medication, how care notes are recorded and shared with the family, and who you would ring late in the evening if something went wrong.

Getting an assessment and arranging the funding

Hours and money are decided before a provider is picked, which makes the assessment the genuine starting point.

Requesting a care needs assessment

You can ask for an assessment on your own behalf or for a relative who consents, and the right to one does not depend on income or savings. The assessor looks at washing, dressing, eating, medication, mobility, continence and how safe the home is, then sets out in writing how much support is needed and at what times. Ask for a copy of the plan, because a provider will want to see it. If a hospital discharge is setting the pace, say so, as assessments can be brought forward.

Who pays, and how much

Assessments and funded support in Chesham are handled by Buckinghamshire Council Adult Social Care, which carries out a financial assessment alongside the needs assessment to establish the household contribution. Income and savings are taken into account, but for care delivered at home the value of the property is not, which is a significant difference from a residential placement. Where support is funded, it may be commissioned directly or paid as a direct payment so the household chooses its own provider. Hourly rates vary between agencies, so ask each for its rate in writing and whether evenings, weekends and bank holidays are charged at a different level.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Chesham

Home Care near Chesham

• Amersham
• Beaconsfield
• Rickmansworth
• Hemel Hempstead
• Gerrards Cross
• High Wycombe
• Watford