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Not all care and support services are subject to the same regulations. Caregiving is a field where essentially anyone can put themselves up for employment. There are important distinctions between independent carers and those employed by an agency.
Getting started
Your can find someone to help in two ways:
- use an agency that will send a carer to the home.
- employ an independent caregiver directly.
Care agencies offer trained staff who will carry out a pre-agreed list of tasks. In England, all agencies are inspected and assessed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care services.
There are different regulatory bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Independent carers, who are also called private carers or personal assistants, are not inspected or evaluated by the CQC, so you would have to make sure that they meet your needs. Care matching services, which are online services that help you find an independent carer, are not regulated. They may do background checks and preliminary interviews, but when employment begins, all responsibility is handed over.
If you hire a carer directly, you may need to set up an employment contract, be responsible for health and safety, pay income tax, national insurance, pension contributions, sick pay, and holiday pay, and have employer's liability insurance.
If the carer is already set up as a self-employed worker, check with HMRC what the responsibilities are.
Make sure that any potential independent carer has passed the appropriate background checks.
Learn how to conduct a criminal record check here→
With PodConnect, finding local self-employed care professionals is simple and stress-free. Every carer is fully insured, has an enhanced DBS check, and brings an average of 10 years of experience. Plus, you can contact, book, and pay easily online!
The Care Quality Commission inspects services (home care agencies and care homes) to make sure standards of quality and safety are met. The findings are published on their website and include performance ratings.
Evaluation of a service is based on 5 key questions:
- Is the service safe?
- Is it effective?
- Is it caring?
- Is it responsive to people's needs?
- Is it well-led?
There are four levels of ratings:
- Outstanding: the CQC has rated the service as performing exceptionally well.
- Good: the CQC has rated the service as performing well - it meets their expectations.
- Requires improvement: the CQC have told the service how they should improve as it’s performing below their expectations.
- Inadequate: the CQC has rated the service as performing so badly, that it has taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
Not all later-life housing options are inspected by the CQC. Care homes and nursing homes are, but retirement villages and other independent housing types are not.
Use the CQC website's search tool to find registered home care agencies in your area (and read their inspection results). Follow our step-by-step guide to using the website before you start. If you already have an agency in mind, ask for a copy of their most recent inspection report. They must give it to you if you ask.
You can also search a national database of agencies (and read reviews) at Homecare.co.uk.
Show me how to find a home care agency in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Costs and funding
Depending on the services provided, agencies charge, on average, £28 per hour. There are usually extra charges on weekends and bank holidays. Most agencies have a minimum number of hours per visit.
If free or partially funded services are provided by the local authority, you can still choose the agency you want, but if the fees exceed the budget granted by the authority, then you will have to pay the difference. Find out more about how local authorities can help here.
Watch out for these charging traps!
The Standard Hours Rate
Most agencies will charge an hourly rate for standard hours and higher rates for non-standard hours. Make sure you understand what standard really means. From when to when?
You might have thought that a 30-minute visit at 5 p.m. to help someone take a bath would be standard. In fact, the standard end time could be 5 p.m., and you could be charged up to double the price after that.
The Part Hours Rate
If a service charges £30 an hour, it would make sense to think that a half-hour visit would cost £15. It isn't always true. For any time less than an hour, many companies will charge up to 80% of the hourly rate. It's important to check because the costs can add up quickly, especially in the beginning when you're figuring out the best times for visits.
Notice periods to adjust terms or change the contract
You should know exactly when you have to give notice. Assume an accident occurs, resulting in a two-week hospital stay. You ask to stop the service for a while. The agency tells you that you have to give at least 14 days' notice if you want to change, stop, or end the contract. You're caught, have to pay for a carer for two weeks you don't need, and lose hundreds of pounds.
Specialist dementia care
Many home care agencies provide carers for people with dementia. Do not be afraid to inquire about the specialised training they should have received. Make sure that the carer remains the same, as consistency and familiarity are important.
Live-in help is also available. Agencies like The Good Care Group work all over England and Scotland, and the Care Quality Commission has consistently awarded them an inspection rating of Outstanding.
Visit the Good Care Group’s website to learn more about live-in versus visiting services. If you are considering the Good Care Group please let us know and we will place you in contact with their Podplan member support team.