Our Guide to Choosing at-Homecare
We have supported residents of North London for over 30 years with their at-Homecare needs whilst remaining in familiar surroundings.
The ever-changing world of at-Homecare services, coupled with the knowledge we have acquired over that time has resulted us in producing an at-Homecare guide.
The aim of our guide is to help demystify any questions or concerns that you may have in choosing the right at-Homecare option for you or your loved one.
We specialise in providing a highly personalised at-Homecare service to individuals and their loved ones. We consider all of you, our clients, as members of our extended family and in ensuring your ever changing needs are continually supported, we hope, a long and supportive friendship.
Understanding your at-Homecare needs
Our initial meeting with you and one of our management team, will enable us to understand how you would like us to support your needs living within your own home.
This will help us agree on a person centred support plan that our at-Home carers will complete on visiting you at home.
We are aware that your needs will continually evolve as time catches up with us all. To this end, our at-Homecarers are asked to report any changes that they have observed.
If you feel that you would like to discuss with us any changes to your support plan, please contact us and we will help to fufil your wishes.
“My father is definitely, totally and utterly happy with the carers. They treat him very well, with respect and observing his dignity. He feels safe, they help him with medication. They always wear their PPE. If they are going to be slightly late, they ring and let us know. That’s fine with me.”
Our 10 Key at-Homecare Questions
We appreciate that choosing the right at-Homecare service can be a stressful situation, especially if you are looking on behalf of a loved one.
We have put together 10 key questions that you should ask in helping you reach your final decision.
Q1: What charges, if any, will I be expected to pay?
Q2: What services are charged as extras?
Q3: Have your carers looked after someone with similar care needs to me?
Q4: If the Local Authority is contributing to my care can I see a copy of the agreement they have with you?
Q5: Will the carer visit in an agreed time slot and will they tell me if they are delayed or running late?
Q6: What sort of training do your carers get?
Q7: How can I contact you during the day, in an emergency, or outside of office hours?
Q8: If I am paying for my own care, do you have a standard contract/ terms & conditions that I can read before signing?
Q9: How will you choose the most suitable carer for me?
Q10: How often will my support plan get reviewed?
Our service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, the body responsible for ensuring quality standards in health and social care.
We are a network partner of the Carers Trust and use their policy framework to ensure that we are delivering care of the highest quality.
We are an approved supplier to the London Borough of Barnet and also deliver support to adult and young carers on contract to the authority.
The care services that Barnet Carers Centre provides are regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission. We were inspected in June 2021 and were rated as Good.
People told us that staff were kind and caring. Comments included “The staff are kind, caring and respectful observing his privacy and dignity.” And “They treat him with dignity and respect, love and compassion.”
Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about people’s preferences, personalities and things that were important to them. This indicated staff had caring relationships with the people they looked after.
Staff told us that they had enough time to engage with people to make sure that each person had everything they needed
Staff comments include “I’m always kind and just simply respect people” and “We make sure we have time for them, hold their hand if necessary to encourage and reassure them.”
Our at-Homecarers
Some of our at-Homecarers have been with us for many years, supporting clients with their needs whilst remaining in their own homes.
Whilst we believe a client and an at-Homecarer should be allocated together to build a bond of trust and friendship, we like to take the continuity of care idea to the next level. By ensuring that you get to know more than one off at-Homecarers ensures that the quality of care is continued, should a particular at-Homecarer may be on holiday or ill.
Training for at-Homecarers
All our at-Homecarers have completed training across a broad range of homecare related aspects from Equality & Diversity through to Dementia Awareness training. Refresher courses are also attended to ensure that all our at-Homecarers’ knowledge is current.
at-Homecarers as your friends
Companionship may be a specific care task you or your loved one may be requiring. Our at-Homecarers are asked to provide a listening ear whenever they can – as we want to get to know you better in terms of your likes and dislikes or what may be troubling you.
Personable at-Homecarers
All our at-Homecarers are expected to treat you with dignity and respect, as if they were a guest in your home. They will arrive on time and ensure that the care tasks are completed, with a level of politeness we all come to expect.
“I have used a couple of local services but the care provided by Barnet Home Carers has been second to none. My mother is always genuinely excited and happy to see her carer. Something that reassures me that I have made the right decision.”
Rhonda Oliver
Carer for her mother