Home Care in Widnes

Widnes has 6 CQC registered home care agencies. 5 are rated Good, and 1 has not yet been rated. 5 of the 6 were last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging and Funding Home Care in Widnes

The assessment to request first

Support arranged without an assessment behind it tends to be harder to change later, so it is worth asking for one at the outset. The assessment costs nothing and covers mobility, continence, meals, medication, memory, mood and how much the current arrangement relies on family. Ask for a carer's assessment at the same time if you provide regular unpaid care, since carers have needs the law recognises in their own right. A relative can make either request on someone's behalf.

Working out who pays

A financial assessment of income and capital follows the needs assessment, and Halton Borough Council Adult Social Care is the body that carries out both stages and confirms the result. Funding may be granted in full, granted as a contribution, or declined on the basis of capital, in which case the support is arranged privately. Where a personal budget is agreed, taking it as a direct payment lets the family choose the provider themselves rather than accept an allocation. Ask for the decision in writing before any agreement is signed.

What the visits will cost

Providers set their own hourly rates, and the figure usually varies with the length of the visit, the time of day and whether weekends or bank holidays are involved. Ask what the minimum visit length is, how short calls are charged, and whether a separate rate applies where two carers are needed. Ask what notice period applies if the arrangement is changed or stopped. A written schedule of charges before support begins is the simplest way to avoid an argument later.

Choosing the Right Home Care Provider in Widnes

What the inspection record shows

Five providers are rated Good and one is too recently registered to have been inspected. For the inspected agencies, open the report rather than stopping at the grade and look at what was said about staffing, call scheduling and medication recording. The passages describing what could be stronger are usually the most useful part of a report on a service rated Good. Check the date of each inspection as well, since a branch can change considerably between visits.

Consistency above everything

Ask how many different care workers would attend in a typical week and whether the same people cover weekends, because familiarity matters enormously to someone receiving personal care. Ask how the rota copes with sickness and holidays, what happens when a visit is running late, and whether the family is told. Ask how much travel time is allowed between calls, since a rota without any built in will slip by mid morning. Ask how the care plan is written and how often it is reviewed once visits have started.

Testing the office rather than the sales pitch

Ask to meet the coordinator who will actually build the rota, not only the person describing the service. Ask how the office knows a call has taken place and how quickly it acts when one is missed. Ask what the complaints process looks like in practice and who reviews it. Then set the answers beside what the inspection report records and decide with both in front of you.

Related searches

• Care Homes in Widnes
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Home Care near Widnes

• Runcorn
• Prescot
• St Helens
• Frodsham
• Warrington
• Newton-le-willows
• Liverpool
• Ellesmere Port