Home Care in Morden

Morden has 16 CQC registered home care agencies. 13 are rated Good, 1 Requires improvement, and 2 have not yet been rated. 8 of the 16 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Choosing a home care agency in Morden

The unit of care at home is the visit rather than the placement, and that changes what you are really comparing. How often carers come, how long they stay and whether it is the same face each time will shape daily life far more than any brochure, and with sixteen agencies covering Morden there is genuine room to be particular.

What the visits actually cover

Registered agencies provide personal care, which covers washing, dressing, help to move safely, prompting or administering medication, preparing meals and support with continence. Some also offer companionship, shopping and help getting to appointments. Agencies here include Clovecare, Supreme Care Services and Bright Homecare, and the reablement service run by the council also appears in this listing.

Reading the ratings and the gaps

Thirteen of the sixteen agencies hold a rating of Good, one holds Requires Improvement and two have not yet been rated. A missing rating is not a warning sign in itself, since newly registered agencies simply have not had a first inspection, but it does mean you have less published evidence and should ask more questions directly.

Continuity is the thing to press on

Ask how many different carers a person is likely to see in a fortnight, and whether the same team covers weekends. Ask what happens when a carer is off sick, how late a visit can run before the office tells you, and whether calls are logged electronically so timings can be checked. These answers separate agencies far more sharply than their marketing does.

Assessments and paying for care at home in Morden

Funding and the choice of agency are decided separately, and it is worth settling the first before committing to the second.

Requesting a care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support may ask for an assessment, whatever their savings, and there is no charge. A practitioner looks at what a person manages alone, what has become difficult and what risk that creates, then records the hours and type of support needed. Contact London Borough of Merton Adult Social Care to start that process, and ask for a carer's assessment as well where a relative is providing much of the support.

What you might pay

A financial assessment compares income and capital with the national thresholds to work out the council's share and the person's own contribution. Home care is charged by the hour, so the weekly cost follows directly from how many visits are agreed and how long each one lasts. Ask whether a direct payment is available, since it lets a person arrange their own support rather than take an agency chosen for them.

Points to confirm before signing

Get the hourly rate in writing, along with any different rate for evenings, weekends and bank holidays, the minimum visit length and the notice period for changing or cancelling calls. Check how the agency handles a hospital admission and whether charges continue while someone is away.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Morden
• Nursing Homes in Morden

Home Care near Morden

• Mitcham
• Worcester Park
• Sutton
• Carshalton
• New Malden
• Wallington
• Thornton Heath
• Kingston Upon Thames
• Surbiton
• Chessington