Home Care in Swanscombe

Swanscombe has 3 CQC registered home care agencies. They have not yet been rated.

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

Arranging and funding support at home in Swanscombe

The cost of care at home is a function of hours, and hours are easier to agree once somebody independent has written down what is actually needed. That is the main argument for starting with an assessment even when you expect to pay for everything yourself.

The care needs assessment

A care needs assessment is free and open to anyone who appears to need care and support, whatever their income or savings. The Kent County Council adult social care department is responsible for carrying out that assessment and for arranging funded support where the national eligibility criteria are met. An assessor will look at washing and dressing, meals, medication, mobility, continence and the risks of managing alone, then set out which needs are eligible. A relative who is already helping can request a carer's assessment in their own right, and asking for both at once saves repeating the same account twice.

Hourly rates and the means test

Care at home is means tested, so a financial assessment determines what the person pays from capital and income, and anyone above the threshold arranges and funds the support themselves. Agencies charge by the hour, usually at higher rates on weekends, bank holidays and for shorter calls, so ask for the whole rate card rather than one figure. Check whether travel time or mileage is billed on top, and what notice is needed to cancel a visit. Ask how the rate changes as calls increase, since a package rarely stays the size it started at.

Choosing a provider and what to look for

With nothing inspected, the first fortnight becomes your evidence, so it is worth preparing for it properly rather than simply waiting to see how things go.

Getting the practical arrangements right

Settle access before the first visit: whether a key safe is needed, who holds the code, and how it is changed when staff leave. Agree what should be in the house, from a clear surface for medication to a list of emergency contacts somewhere obvious. Ask whether the care plan will be written with the person receiving care rather than about them, since a plan that reflects their own preferences is the one most likely to be followed. Ask who to telephone out of hours, how late a visit must be before anyone contacts you, and how visits are recorded so a relative can check them.

When the person does not want help

Reluctance is common and worth planning for rather than treating as an obstacle. Ask each agency how its staff handle a visit when someone refuses to be helped, and what they do rather than simply leaving. Ask whether the same small group of workers would attend, because familiarity does more to overcome resistance than persuasion does. It often helps to start with the least intrusive task, perhaps a meal or some help with the shopping, and build from there once the person has got used to a face at the door. Ask the agency whether it is willing to begin that way.

Home Care near Swanscombe

• Gravesend
• Grays
• Longfield
• Tilbury
• Dartford
• South Ockendon
• Swanley
• Gillingham
• Erith
• Bexleyheath