Home Care in Lewes

Lewes has 4 CQC registered home care agencies. 4 are rated Good. All 4 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging care at home in Lewes and sorting out the funding

Money is the part that holds families up, and with care delivered at home the sums are rather more predictable than most people expect. Support is bought in visits of an agreed length, so the weekly cost follows directly from the number of hours agreed. Establishing those hours, and who pays for them, comes before choosing between providers.

The 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 of day. Ask for a copy of the plan, because any provider you approach will want to see it. If a hospital discharge is setting the pace, say so, as assessments can be brought forward.

How the council helps

Assessments and funded support in Lewes are handled by East Sussex County Council Adult Social Care, which carries out a financial assessment alongside the needs assessment to establish what the household contributes. 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 agency. An unpaid carer can also request an assessment of their own needs.

What it is likely to cost

Agencies charge by the hour or by the visit, and rates differ between providers and often between weekdays, evenings and weekends. Ask for the rate in writing, check the minimum visit length, and find out whether travel time is charged on top. Where the council is contributing, confirm the provider accepts the rate on offer rather than assuming it will.

Choosing a provider in Lewes and what to look for

With every agency holding the same rating, the decision rests on the detail inside the reports and on the questions you ask directly.

Reading past the rating

All four providers serving Lewes are rated Good, among them Unity Care Solutions (Lewes), Your Quality Care Services Limited (Gradwell) and Joint Community Rehabilitation Service. Open each report and read the sections individually, because a service can be rated Good overall while being noticeably stronger on care than on leadership, or the reverse. Pay particular attention to anything said about staffing levels and about how the provider responds when something goes wrong. Note the inspection date too, since an older report describes the agency as it was at the time.

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, because continuity is what families complain about most. Ask who takes responsibility for medication, how care notes are recorded and shared, and who you would ring late in the evening. Ask as well how the agency acted on its most recent inspection findings.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Lewes
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Home Care near Lewes

• Uckfield
• Newhaven
• Burgess Hill
• Peacehaven
• Brighton
• Hassocks
• Haywards Heath
• Heathfield
• Hailsham
• Seaford