Supporting families to make the
right long-term care choice
Once you have decided that live-in care is right for you and your family, the decision now is which live-in care provider do you choose. Many believe that all live-in care organisations are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which means the quality of care is monitored and regularly inspected. This is not the case – here we explain the key differences to help you make an informed decision.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIVE-IN CARE PROVIDERS
LIVE-IN CARE PROVIDER
- Regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- Directly employed carers
- Fully managed service
- High levels of carer supervision and management
- Carers paid directly by provider
- Holiday cover managed by provider
- Oversight, direction, advice and support given as needs change
- Peace of mind, knowing your carers are well-led and supported by care management experts
- Effective monitoring of the service and the carer who comes to live with you
INTRODUCTION AGENCY
- Service not regulated by the CQC
- Introduced to a carer who is employed by the family or the person receiving care
- No management of service
- Family responsible for supervising and managing the care arrangement
- Family pays carers
- Family responsible for managing holiday cover and sickness
- Agency cannot advise, direct or support the carer in their role
HIRING A LIVE-IN CARER INDEPENDENTLY
- Service not regulated by the CQC
- Family must advertise, interview and carry out background checks
- Family must self-manage the service provided
- Family will undertake the same legal obligations as an employer
- Family must provide a written statement of employment
- As an employer, family must take out Employer’s Liability Insurance and Public Liability Insurance
- Family responsible for managing holiday cover and sickness
- Two carers may be required to provide the around the clock care you need
WHAT DOES THE CARE QUALITY
COMMISSION LOOK FOR?
The Care Quality Commission(CQC) is an independent, government-sanctioned regulatory body tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all care homes, hospitals, and domiciliary care services are providing safe, effective, high quality and compassionate care.
The CQC performs comprehensive inspections of each care provider agency and rates their services on a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires Improvement’ and ‘Inadequate.’ During their inspection, the CQC rates each care providers’ standards in accordance with 5 key areas known as Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs):
- Is the service safe?
- Is the service well-led?
- Is the service effective?
- Is the service caring?
- Is the service response to people’s needs?
Finding the right live-in care or domiciliary care provider can feel like a daunting task for families. The CQC’s rating system provides peace of mind to the public with regard to the quality and effectiveness of a care provider’s services. By choosing a care provider with a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ rating, you can rest assured that you will receive high quality and compassionate care.
Employed professional carers
There are many reassuring benefits to using a fully managed service. As a fully managed service, Oxford Aunts directly employs its dedicated carers whilst they are caring for you – we never use agency carers. All carers go through a robust and rigorous recruitment process and are trained to the highest level before they are placed with a client.
Uniquely, we use a Situational Judgement Test (SJT) during the recruitment process to ensure those we hire have the aptitude to deliver the high-quality care our clients should expect. You will be supported by an expert care team which includes a Carer Assessor local to you and a Care Manager, with care delivery overseen by an experienced registered manager. Our care management team only look after a small portfolio of clients, which means you and our carer get unrivalled levels of support.
A regulated and inspected
service drives quality
Oxford Aunts is a regulated service, which means the quality of its care is regularly inspected by The Care Quality Commission (CQC), something introduction home care agencies are not. As a family you cannot be assured of the quality of the service the carer you are introduced to will provide. We are proud to be rated ‘Good’ in all five measures in our last inspection. Read our CQC report here.
We are completely accountable for the care we provide, which eliminates worry and provides reassurance to families that their loved one is in safe hands and receiving the best care.
OUR CARE SERVICES
Oxford Aunts is an in-home provider of care, meaning one of our dedicated carers will visit you in your own home to provide you with the care and support you need.
We offer a range of in-home care services including:
- When a person needs 24-hour live-in care because ageing and health limitations mean they need around the clock care and support to continue to have a good quality of life.
- A respite service can be provided on a live-in basis following hospital discharge to convalesce or for those needing positive rehabilitation or to recover from illness. We know how challenging it can be for a family carer supporting a loved one and sometimes a break is all that is needed to rest and recharge. Our respite service can give you the break you need whilst you see whether 24-hour live-in care would work for you and your family.
- Specialist care of complex conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s or cancer can be supported with live-in care on a one-to-one basis where there is more opportunity for high quality care to be provided. You really do not need to move into a care home if you have a complex condition.
- If you need end-of-life palliative care this can also be provided as a live-in care service in the comfort of your home, negating the need to move into a residential setting or a hospice. Our carers make sure a person’s health needs are met whilst ensuring they have all their wishes, choices and preferences met.
- Care for couples, so they can stay together as a loving couple with the personalised support they need.
Taking the worry away from family members
Once an introduction agency introduces a carer to you and you pay the one-off charge to them for that service, that is typically the end of their involvement in the arrangement. Families are then required to supervise, manage and organise all aspects of the care for their loved one, which for most is time consuming, frustrating and sometimes unmanageable. Most people who require long-term care will need a team of two carers to provide the support they need. This means you will be responsible for managing a rota, paying the carer and organising sickness and holiday cover as well as directing the care. Carers introduced through an introduction agency are self-employed and may not have had any training before being placed with a client.
With a fully managed and regulated service all these worries are simply taken away and you have all the reassurance you need about the quality of care being provided and the level of service you will receive – making life easier for all the family.
TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR LIVE-IN CARE NEEDS
Call our friendly and approachable care advisors today to arrange an assessment of your care needs. We are here to help you and your family.
