Choosing the right person or company to provide care and support for you or a loved one is not an easy decision. You need someone who is caring with the right knowledge and skills, someone you can rely upon and most importantly someone whom you can trust.

On these pages we guide you through some of the key points you need to be aware of when exploring different options.

Step 1: Make a list of the day-to-day
activities you would like help with.

For example:

• Having a good morning start to your day – getting up, eating a good
  breakfast and being ready for the day ahead

• Companionship or someone to go shopping with or to take you to meet old friends

• Collecting your medicines from the chemist, perhaps once a fortnight

• Keeping your home the way you like it, clean and tidy

• Doing the washing and ironing

• Preparing nutritious meals

• Bathing and settling in for a good night’s sleep

Or if you give care for your loved one, you may be looking for the right care worker to sit with them or even stay overnight so you can get some well-earned rest.

Step 2: Consider how you will pay
for the care and support

You may be entitled to financial help towards the cost of a care worker. Who pays and how much will depend the type and amount of care and support you need and the amount of money you have.

You can ask for a community care assessment from the adult social services department of your local council if you need help with essential day-to-day activities such as personal care, taking your medicines, having drinks and food etc. They have a duty to carry out an assessment of your care needs.

Someone, usually a social worker or care manager, from the adult social services department will visit you at home. They will ask about what you need help with and what you would like to achieve from your care and support. It is important to be aware that an assessment of ‘need’ may not be the same as assessing what you ‘want’.

The council has to decide whether or not you have ‘eligible’ needs. This refers to needs that can be publicly funded. If the local authority decides that you meet this criterion they will then carry out a financial assessment. The financial assessment will determine whether you are entitled to financial help towards the cost of care and if so, how much.

Step 3: Arranging care and support

The council may make arrangements on your behalf with private companies or charities to provide your care and support. Alternatively, you may be making your own arrangements to find a care worker. This might be because the council has:

• Given you a personal budget to buy your own care and support

• Decided that you do not meet their eligibility criteria

• Because you prefer to arrange your care and support independently

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has clear guidance and advice for people who may need care services. You can find this online at: www.findmegoodcare.co.uk

Step 4 Deciding on a care agency or
a personal assistant

If you are looking for care and support at home you need to decide whether you wish to directly employ a personal assistant yourself or if you want to use the services of a domiciliary care agency.

To give you an idea of the different responsibilities, we have produced a table that compares Bluecrest Care services with employing a personal assistant yourself.

There are organisations that can offer advice and guidance on employing your own personal assistant. This might include developing job descriptions, recruitment and training and information about your legal responsibilities. Some organisations may be able to handle parts of the employment process on your behalf, for example, payroll.

Contact the Disability Rights UK Independent Living Advice Line

For further information on the above Telephone 0300 555 1525

Opening hours: Mon and Thurs 9.00 – 13.00

Email: independentliving@disabilityrightsuk.org

Choosing a safe and caring home
care provider

Contact Bluecrest Care Office to have a chat about the care and support we can provide for you.

We provide safe, high-quality care tailored to your specific needs and wishes. We will respect your personal beliefs and how you choose to live your life and always treat you with the utmost dignity and respect. To keep you in control of your care and support, we will help you understand our service, listen to your views and agree on what we can do and how we can provide the best service for you.

Our aim is to deliver what we promise and provide a consistent and caring service that you can rely upon.

Our services are registered with the national regulator for social care in each country in which we operate. They inspect and check the quality of our services to make sure that we provide safe and caring services that meet the requirements of the law.

The regulators across the UK are:

• The Care Quality Commission for England

• The Care Inspectorate for Scotland

• Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales

• Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority for Northern Ireland

You can ask for a copy of the regulator’s inspection report for each of the Bluecrest offices. This will tell you about the quality of the Bluecrest Care home care service in your area.

We are also full members of the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA). Both of these bodies have quality standards which set out how we should provide our service.

We are happy to visit you at home to discuss ways we can help and then, once you have decided, you simply leave the rest to us.

How to find the right care for you or your relative