Home Care in Tonbridge

Tonbridge has 17 CQC registered home care agencies. 8 are rated Good, 2 Outstanding, 1 Requires improvement, and 6 have not yet been rated. 10 of the 17 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Organising and funding support at home in Tonbridge

Starting with an assessment of need

Anyone who appears to need care and support can ask for a free assessment, whatever their income or savings. For care at home the assessment looks closely at practical daily tasks, washing, dressing, preparing meals, managing medicines, getting safely in and out of bed, and at the times of day when help matters most. It also considers equipment and small adaptations, which sometimes reduce the number of visits needed. A carer living in the household can request a separate assessment in their own right.

How funded support works

Where needs are eligible, a financial assessment decides the contribution. Home care is treated differently from a care home place, because the value of the property someone lives in is not counted when support is delivered there. Savings above the national threshold usually mean paying privately, while people below it receive help towards the cost. Assessments and funded packages are arranged through Kent County Council adult social care, which also reviews packages as needs change. Ask about a direct payment if you would rather choose and manage the agency yourself.

Understanding how agencies charge

Home care is normally charged by the hour or by the visit, with higher rates at weekends, on bank holidays and for visits made at night. Very short calls can look inexpensive until you add up several a day. Ask for a written rate card, ask whether travel time is billed, and ask what notice is required to change or cancel a visit. Ask too how the agency handles a sudden increase in need, since a package that works in spring may not hold in winter.

Comparing home care agencies in Tonbridge and knowing what matters

Reading the inspection record

Two agencies here, All About Home Care (Kent) and Hilton Nursing Partners Limited, hold an Outstanding rating, and eight more are rated Good. One is at Requires Improvement and six have no rating yet. With home care the sections worth reading most carefully are those on safety and responsiveness, because missed and late calls and problems with medicines are the issues that most often unsettle a household. Check the date of the inspection as well, since agencies change hands and change managers more often than buildings do.

Continuity is the thing to press on

The single question that separates a good agency from an adequate one is how many different care workers will come through the door. Ask how many people would be assigned to a package, whether the same faces cover weekends, and what happens when someone is ill or on leave. Ask for a rota in advance and ask whether arrival times are windows or fixed. Someone with memory problems in particular does far better with a small, familiar team.

Practical checks before you commit

Ask how care workers are trained for the specific tasks needed, especially moving and handling, catheter care or supporting someone with dementia. Ask how visits are recorded and whether family living elsewhere can see the notes. Ask who answers the telephone at seven in the evening on a Sunday, and how quickly a missed call is noticed and covered. Finally, ask how the agency handles complaints, and listen for a straight answer rather than a reassuring one.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Tonbridge
• Nursing Homes in Tonbridge

Home Care near Tonbridge

• Tunbridge Wells
• West Malling
• Sevenoaks
• Aylesford