Home Care in Colne

Colne has 5 CQC registered home care agencies. 3 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 1 Requires improvement. 2 of the 5 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Choosing a home care provider in Colne and what to look for

Reliability is very nearly the whole of it with care delivered at home, and reliability is not something a brochure can demonstrate. The tasks on offer are much the same from one agency to the next, covering help with washing and dressing, prompting medication, preparing meals, shopping and companionship. What differs is whether the same carers come, whether they arrive when they said they would, and what happens on the day somebody calls in sick.

What the ratings show

Resurgence Case Management Limited holds an Outstanding rating, two providers are rated Good, Pendle Support Limited sits at Requires Improvement and one has not yet been rated. Because the spread here is unusually wide for a list of five, the reports are worth reading rather than skimming. Look particularly at the sections on staffing and on how well each service is led, as those bear most directly on whether visits happen as promised. Where no rating has been published, the provider is generally newly registered, so ask about the manager's experience instead.

Questions worth asking before you commit

Ask how many different carers would normally attend and what the agency does when the regular one is away. Ask about the minimum visit length, whether travel time is charged, and how much notice is needed to change or cancel. 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.

Arranging care and sorting out the funding

The number of hours and the question of who pays are both settled before a provider is chosen.

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 Colne are handled by Lancashire County 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, letting the household choose its own provider. Hourly rates vary, so ask each agency for its rate in writing and whether evenings, weekends and bank holidays are charged differently.

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