Question 1

How is a care needs assessment arranged in Surrey?

Accepted Answer

Contact Surrey County Council adult social care and ask for one, which can usually be started online or over the telephone. The right applies to anyone who appears to need care and support, and the assessment carries no charge. An assessor will discuss daily routines, safety at home and what relatives already do. The written outcome records eligible needs and opens the way to any funded support.

Question 2

Will Surrey County Council contribute to the cost?

Accepted Answer

It may, though any contribution rests on a financial assessment as well as the assessment of need. Income and capital are measured against national thresholds to work out what the person pays themselves. Where support is agreed, the council can commission care directly or provide a direct payment so the family picks an agency from this page. Where needs are primarily clinical, ask about NHS continuing healthcare, which is funded separately.

Question 3

Which home care agencies cover Surrey?

Accepted Answer

Two hundred and eighty three agencies registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care in Surrey are gathered here. They range from recognised national brands to independent offices working across one town. Each profile carries the provider details and the published rating where an inspection has taken place. Reviewing them together avoids the slow work of ringing offices one at a time.

Question 4

How does home care differ from a care home or nursing home?

Accepted Answer

Home care brings carers to the person for agreed visits, leaving the house, the routine and the neighbours unchanged. A care home provides accommodation, meals and personal support on one site with staff present at all hours. A nursing home adds registered nurses, allowing clinical needs such as complex wounds or feeding tubes to be met on site. Each model is inspected by the Care Quality Commission but registered for different activities and charged on a different basis.

Question 5

When should we start arranging home care?

Accepted Answer

Allow a few weeks where circumstances permit, as assessments, financial checks and agency capacity seldom align immediately. The most popular call times are early morning and early evening, so approach several agencies at once rather than waiting on one answer. If a hospital discharge is setting the pace, tell the ward and the council without delay because those arrangements follow a shorter timetable. Starting early also leaves room to switch agency if the first choice proves unsuitable.

Question 6

What should I ask when meeting an agency in Surrey?

Accepted Answer

Ask who will visit, how consistent that team will be and how absences are covered without sending someone unfamiliar. Check how medication is recorded, how the care plan is agreed and how quickly it can be revised. Ask for a written schedule of charges covering weekends, bank holidays, travel and notice. Then read the inspection report alongside what you have been told and see whether the two agree.

Home Care in Surrey

291 home care in Surrey (showing 251–291)