Home care in Birmingham

Choosing the right person or company to provide home care (also known as domiciliary care) and support services 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.

Here are some key points

On this page, we guide you through some of the key points of advice you should consider when exploring different options relating to care.

Make a list of the day-to-day activities you would like help with

For example:

• Your morning start - getting up, eating a good breakfast and being ready for the day ahead

• Companionship - someone to go shopping with or to go out for a coffee or bite to eat

• Collecting your medicines from the pharmacist

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

• A helping hand with the washing and ironing

• Preparing nutritious meals

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

Or perhaps if you care for your loved one, you may be looking for the right person to sit with them or to even stay overnight and allow you to get some well-earned rest and peace.

Consider how you will pay for the home care and support

You may be entitled to financial help towards the cost of paying a domiciliary care assistant. Who pays and how much will depend on the type and amount of care and support you receive, and the money you have.

Know who to contact

You can ask for a community care assessment from the Adult Social Care team at Birmingham City council if you need help with essential day-to-day activities such everyday tasks such as personal home care, taking your medication and having food and drinks. 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 care and support team will visit you in your home and ask about the things you need help and what you would like to achieve from having a care assistant support you.

Be aware of the "need"

It is important to be aware that an assessment of 'need' may not be the same as an assessment of 'want'.

The council has to decide whether or not you have 'eligible' needs which can be publicly funded.

If they decide you meet this criteria then they will perform a financial assessment to determine whether you are entitled to financial help towards your cost of care and if so, how much.

Arranging your care and support

The council may make arrangements on your behalf with private companies or charities to provide your home care and support.

You may need to make your own arrangements

Alternatively, you may be making your own arrangements to find a home care assistant which may be as a result of you not meeting the council's eligibility or because you prefer to remain independent and arrange your home care and support independently.

Deciding on a care provider or a personal assistant

If you are looking for care and support in your own home alone, 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 and support provider, such as Bluebird Care Birmingham West.

Personal care assistant or professional care service

To give you an idea of the different responsibilities, we have produced a comparison of our services with employing a personal assistant yourself:

Contact us

Contact our dedicated team today via phone 0121 803 6787 or email birminghamwest@bluebirdcare.co.uk to learn more about our various home care services in Birmingham and to see how we can help care for you or your loved one at home.