Home Care in Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port has 19 CQC registered home care agencies. 12 are rated Good, 1 Outstanding, 1 Requires improvement, and 5 have not yet been rated. 12 of the 19 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Planning and paying for care in Ellesmere Port

Support delivered at home is bought by time rather than by the week, which makes it flexible and, at the outset, harder to budget for. The sensible order is to establish what is needed, in writing, and only then to work out who pays for it.

The assessment that opens the door

Any adult who appears to need care and support can ask for a free assessment, whatever their income or savings. A practitioner considers getting up and dressed, moving safely about the house, medication, meals, continence and isolation, then records how much help is needed and at what hours. That written outcome is what turns a worry into a schedule of visits. Request it from Cheshire West and Chester Council adult social care, and ask for a carer's assessment of your own if you have been providing the support until now.

Working out the contribution

A financial assessment compares capital and income with national thresholds. Where care is given in a person's own home, the value of that home is disregarded as capital, which brings help within reach for more households than expect it. Those who qualify may take a direct payment and buy care from an agency they have chosen themselves. Ask for the calculation in writing so it can be checked against the current figures.

Rates, minimum visits and extras

Hourly rates vary between agencies and by the time of day, with evenings, weekends and bank holidays often priced separately. Ask what the shortest visit is, whether travel time is billed, and what happens if a call is cancelled at short notice. Ask how the rate changes when two carers are needed. A low headline figure tied to very brief visits can prove poorer value than a higher one that buys proper time.

Choosing an agency and what to check

What the grades on this page show

One agency here holds Outstanding, the regulator's highest judgement, and eleven hold Good, so most of this list has satisfied inspectors. One carries Requires Improvement, which is a reason to read the report rather than to rule the agency out. Six have no rating yet, which is common among newer agencies and is not a criticism, though it does leave you without an independent account. Ask those agencies for references and begin with a short trial.

The question of who arrives

The most useful question you can ask is how many different carers would come in a fortnight. Ask how the rota is put together, whether you are told in advance when the regular carer is away, and who telephones when someone is running late. A settled, familiar team is what makes care at home feel like support rather than an intrusion, and it is the thing agencies differ on most.

Plans, training and notice periods

Ask how the care plan is written, who signs it off and how often it is reviewed with the family. Ask what training carers have in medication, in moving and handling, and in any condition that matters in your household. Ask how a complaint is handled and what came of the last one. Ask what notice each side must give, because it should be straightforward to change your mind.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Ellesmere Port
• Nursing Homes in Ellesmere Port

Home Care near Ellesmere Port

• Chester
• Frodsham
• Caer
• Wirral
• Birkenhead
• Prenton
• Widnes
• Runcorn