Home Care in Whitley Bay

Whitley Bay has 4 CQC registered home care agencies. 1 is rated Good, 1 Outstanding, and 2 have not yet been rated. 1 of the 4 was last inspected more than three years ago.

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

What home care in Whitley Bay involves

The shape of a package

Help at home covers a broad span, from one short visit each morning to get someone washed and dressed, through to four calls a day and, at the far end, a carer living in. Most arrangements start small and grow as need does. The work itself usually takes in personal care, prompting or administering medicines, preparing meals, support to reach appointments and the ordinary company that keeps a household going. Registration with the Care Quality Commission covers that regulated personal care, so an agency offering only cleaning or shopping would not appear on a page such as this one.

Rated and unrated agencies ask for different questions

Four agencies match this search. New Prospects holds an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission and Helping Hands Cramlington is rated Good. Quality First Care Services (Northumberland) and RICMS Ltd have not yet been rated, so there is no published inspection judgement to weigh for either. An absent rating is not a warning in itself and often reflects nothing more than a recent registration. It does mean, though, that you are relying on what an agency tells you rather than on what an inspector found, so ask how long it has been operating, how many people it currently supports, and whether it can put you in touch with existing clients or their families.

What separates one agency from another

Continuity is the thing families notice most, so ask how many different carers a person would meet across a fortnight and whether a small regular team can be arranged. Ask how visits are scheduled, what happens when a carer is off sick or a round overruns, and whether the agreed length of a call is protected when the day slips. Check what training staff hold for the particular needs involved, whether that is dementia, moving and handling or medicines.

Getting an assessment and funding the support

The care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need care and support may request a care needs assessment, whatever their savings, and the duty to carry one out rests with North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council Adult Social Care. An assessor looks at washing and dressing, meals, medicines, moving safely about the house, continence, memory and the help relatives already give, then records the outcome in writing. That written outcome lets an agency quote sensibly, because it sets out how many calls a day are likely to be needed and how long each should last.

How the cost is met

A financial assessment is carried out separately, weighing income and capital against the national thresholds. Where someone falls below them, the council may commission a package directly or offer a direct payment so the person chooses their own agency and arranges the rota to suit their week. Above the threshold, the arrangement is private, and a reassessment can be requested as savings reduce. Home care is generally charged by the hour or by the visit, with higher rates at weekends and on bank holidays, so ask for a written schedule of charges and check whether travel time is billed.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Whitley Bay
• Nursing Homes in Whitley Bay

Home Care near Whitley Bay

• North Shields
• South Shields
• Wallsend
• Jarrow
• Cramlington
• Blyth
• Boldon Colliery
• Bedlington
• Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Gateshead