Help at home (homecare)

What to expect from your care provider/s

If your care at home is funded by us, your care provider may help you at home with:

• personal care
• meals
• attending a day centre
• other tasks identified in your care and support plan

A social worker will have developed a care plan with you to identify what you want to achieve with your care at home.

Care providers in Southwark

There are a few care providers in Southwark. We commission a limited number to make sure you receive quality care that meets the Care Quality Commission standards. You may get care from more than one care provider. Your care provider may also change.

Care at home times slots available

If we commission care for you it can be available to you from 7am to 10pm. The number of visits you get will depend on how much care you need. You can receive care at home during these times:

• 7am to 10am
•  9am to 11.30am
• 11.30am to 2.30pm (lunchtime)
•  2.30pm to 4pm (teatime)
•  6pm to 10pm

Agreeing your time slots

A social worker would have assessed your needs to develop a care plan with you or your representative. You may need care at specific times for certain tasks e.g. to take medication, to attend a day centre or for pressure care. The social worker should have discussed with you or your representative the different time slots available to you. Your actual time slots are agreed with the provider/s when the care is arranged.

Timing and spacing of your time slots

Care providers cannot change your time slot/s on a day to day or week to week basis. Any changes to your time slot/s must be agreed with you. Care workers will try to visit you at the agreed time.

Because they have to travel between visits to other residents, they may sometimes arrive late. If your care worker is 30 minutes late and the care provider has not called you, you can call the care provider’s office. Their number will be in your care log book. If a care worker is regularly late, it's the provider’s responsibility to review their care worker rotas and liaise with you or your representative about this.

It is also the care provider’s responsibility to make sure that your care at home visits are spaced out throughout the day. This is to make sure your needs are met e.g. pressure care is provided to you at the right time/s.

Unless it says differently in your care plan, if you are scheduled to receive:

• three care visits a day, there should be at least a three hour gap between each visit
• four care visits a day, there should be at least a two hour gap between each visit

Under no circumstances should separate visits be combined into one visit.

Changes to your agreed time slots

If you need to change your care at home time slot/s you should request this from your care provider/s. The care provider will discuss the changes with a social worker, then agree on updates to your care plan and care delivery schedule.

If the care provider believes the care tasks or length of a visit/s need changing, they should contact a social worker to discuss this first before agreeing changes with you/your representative.

Monitoring your care at home visits

When your care worker arrives and leaves is monitored by an electronic call monitoring device that is stored in your file. This is to make sure your care is timely and accurately delivered. Your care worker will tap their mobile phone on this device to register their visit. This system makes sure care workers are paid accurately according to time spent with you and helps the provider oversee the delivery of your care.

If you have concerns about your care

If you have concerns about any aspect of your care, try to resolve these directly with the provider first. If that doesn’t work then speak to your social worker.

Page last updated: 27 June 2022