Homecare, also known as domiciliary care, is care and support provided by well trained, paid carers who visit you in your home to help you. Carers may drive to you, yet many now choose to cycle or walk. They will help with a variety of tasking including:
- Getting out of bed in the morning
- Washing and dressing
- Using the toilet
- Preparing meals and drinks
- Helping or reminding you to take your medication
- Keeping in touch with family, friends and neighbours
- Getting settled in the evening and ready for bed.
Homecare is flexible to suit your needs, e.g. you might need a paid homecare carer for an hour a week or for a few hours a day over several visits. It can also be temporary, e.g. for a few weeks while you recover from an illness, or it can be for longer
Homecare providers are required to be regulated by a national body, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Carers are aged from 17+ and you can be assured that all will have the appropriate training so that they provide the very highest quality of care. The CQC regularly:
- Inspect providers
- Analyse feedback from individuals and families
- Provide a published report and quality rating of the service provided.
You can find details about any registered Domiciliary/Homecare provider by visiting the CQC website(external link).
How can homecare support you?
Homecare can enable you to carry on living at home safely If you are finding it harder to cope with daily routines, such as washing, dressing and getting out and about.
Ethical Homecare services in Wigan
We’re very proud of our Homecare services in Wigan and work closely with our providers to ensure that care is delivered by kind, caring, compassionate and well-trained carers to enable you to receive the support you need to live a good life in your home.
The carers are employed by ethical homecare providers, who after a thorough selection process are contracted and monitored by the Council and are matched to one or two specific areas of the borough. This allows them to get to know you and your local area and help connect you to your local community and services. By having specific areas, more time is spent caring rather than travelling. Some carers arrange their visits by bike or walking so are less likely to be delayed by traffic.
What does it cost?
The Council have agreed a fixed fee with contracted ethical providers. This enables the provider to pay, as a minimum, the Real Living Wage to their carers, invest in their training and development and make a broader contribution to the borough and the communities that they work in. This might be supporting coffee mornings, fundraising for local charities, employing young people and supporting apprenticeships and professional qualifications.
This fixed fee is reviewed in partnership at least every 12 months and is informed by national and local costs. All our ethical providers have agreed to provide homecare to residents of the borough at the same fixed rate that the Council pay, whether you pay for your own care (self-funded) or the Council pays for some or all of your care.
How to arrange homecare
You can arrange your own homecare. The Ethical Homecare providers contracted by us are:
Contact details can be found on their websites.
The CQC (Care Quality Commission) website(external link) can also direct you to other local providers and provide details about the quality of service their assessed quality rating, to help to inform your decision.
If you are assessed by the Council as needing homecare, your Social Care Worker will support you during the process and introduce you to the ethical homecare provider in your area describing to them your needs and the outcomes that you are looking for from the support. Your provider will then work with you directly and agree how and when you want to be supported to meet the outcomes and aims in your support plan. You may have to pay towards this (see Paying for Care).
If the Council pay, or contribute towards the cost of your care needs, you may also be able choose and take control of arranging your own care via a Direct Payment. Your Social Care Worker will be able to discuss the benefits of this method and the responsibilities that come with this option for you to help to decide if this is right for you.
What happens once homecare is in place?
You can relax and go about your daily life with the support that you need to be happy and well living at home.
If your care is arranged by us and you have a supported assessment and support plan, your Social Care Worker will periodically review your care as a minimum of at least once a year. Knowing you well, your provider will also be happy to be involved in this review with you.