Home Care in Oldham

Oldham has 66 CQC registered home care agencies. 27 are rated Good, 4 Outstanding, 3 Requires improvement, and 32 have not yet been rated. 28 of the 66 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 Oldham and what to look for

Comparing agencies is harder than comparing care homes, because there is no building to walk round and form an impression of. What you are really judging is reliability: whether the right person turns up at the right time, knows what they are doing, and does it the same way next week. That makes the questions you ask count for a great deal.

Working with an incomplete inspection record

Twenty six of these agencies hold a Good rating and three are rated Outstanding, which gives a solid starting point. Three carry a Requires Improvement rating, and those reports are worth opening rather than skipping, since the underlying issue may be record keeping or may be something felt by the people receiving visits. Thirty three agencies have no published rating at all, a larger unrated group than many areas show, and it generally reflects how recently they registered rather than anything adverse. For those, ask how long the service has operated, who the registered manager is and what experience they bring from elsewhere.

The questions that separate one agency from another

Ask how many different carers a person typically sees in a fortnight, because continuity matters more to daily life than anything in a brochure. Establish the shortest visit the agency will accept, how arrival times are agreed and what happens when the usual carer is off sick. Check what training staff hold for the particular conditions involved, whether dementia, stroke recovery, catheter care or diabetes, and how medication is recorded at each visit. Ask who answers the telephone at night and at weekends, how the care plan is reviewed, and what notice either side must give if the arrangement is not working.

Getting an assessment and sorting out the funding in Oldham

The route into funded support runs through two decisions taken in order, and knowing which comes first saves a good deal of frustration.

The care needs assessment

Adult social care at Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council social care team must assess anyone who appears to need care and support, free of charge and whatever their savings. A practitioner goes through washing, dressing, meals, medication, continence, mobility and the risks of leaving any of it unmet, alongside what relatives are already doing. The outcome is a written record of eligible needs and a support plan setting out how many visits are needed, when and for what purpose. Family members providing unpaid care can request a carer's assessment at the same time.

What it costs and who pays

A financial assessment follows separately, measuring capital and income against thresholds set nationally. Above the upper limit a person arranges and funds their own care; below it the council contributes while the person pays an assessed amount and keeps a protected sum for living costs. Funded support can be commissioned by the council or taken as a direct payment, which lets someone choose their own agency and shape visits around their routine. Hourly rates move with early mornings, evenings, weekends and bank holidays, so ask for a written schedule before comparing providers on price.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Oldham
• Nursing Homes in Oldham

Home Care near Oldham

• Ashton-under-lyne
• Stalybridge
• Heywood
• Rochdale
• Hyde
• Manchester
• Salford
• Bury
• Glossop