Home care in Solihull
Let us guide you through the process of choosing the right person or company to provide care and support for you or a loved one.
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 this page, we guide you through some of the key points you should consider when exploring different options relating to care.
Step 1: 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, for example 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
- Doing 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.
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 assisant. Who pays and how much will depend on the type and amount of care and support you receive and the money you have.
You can ask for a community care assessment from the Adult Social care and support team at Solihull council if you need help with essential day-to-day activities such as personal 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. 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.
Step 3: Arranging your 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 assistant which may be as a result of you not meeting the council's eligibility or because you prefer to arrange your care and support independently.
Step 4: Deciding on a care provider or a personal assistant
If you are looking for care and support in your 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 care provider, such as Bluebird Care Solihull.
To give you an idea of the different responsibilities, we have produced a comparison of our services with employing a personal assistant yourself:
| Bluebird Care Solihull | Personal Assistant |
|
Recruits suitable care assistants and carries out rigorous checks, for example obtaining references, criminal record checks etc. |
You are responsible for the hiring process. This includes advertising, interviewing, taking up references and appointment. |
|
Employs care assistants under agreed contracts and terms and conditions. These require care assistants to follow our policies and procedures for providing safe care. |
You employ the personal assistant which means you need to draw up an employment contract with appropriate terms and conditions. |
| Carries out an assessment with you to help you decide which services you want and how you would like these to be provided. |
You decide which services you require from your personal assistant and how you want them to provide this. |
| Matches your requirements with a suitable care assistant. | You decide if a personal assistant has the right skills, knowledge and personal attributes to provide your care and support safely and to protect your rights. |
| Arranges a timetable with you, setting out when the care assisnta will provide your service and for how long. | You need to agree the dates and times that your personal assistant will call. This means making phone calls and finding out what has happened if the personal assistant fails to show up. |
| Manages the payroll and deals with tax and national insurance. | As the employer you need to make appropriate deductions for tax and national insurance. |
| Trains and supervises care assistants. Failure to follow the correct working practices invokes Bluebird Care’s disciplinary procedure. | You are the boss and so you are responsible for managing performance and discipline. Make it clear from the outset what action will be taken if an employee breaches the agreed ways of working. |
| Has professional liability insurance and has responsibility under Health and Safety law if the customer or care assistant is injured in the course of their work. |
You must have adequate insurance cover in case of injury to the personal assistant or yourself. |
| Carries out health and safety and risk assessments (checking to see what tasks you need help with and making sure they're carried out as safely as possible by the care worker) | You must consider what health and safety risk assessments are needed and decide who will carry these out. |
| Is responsible for finding other care assistants to meet your needs. We have a team of care assistants who are able to provide cover for holidays, sickness and other periods of absence or if your care assistant leaves. | You should have alternative cover arrangements for when your personal assistant is on holiday or off sick from work. If your personal assistant leaves you will need to go through the recruitment process again. |
There are organisations who 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 our dedicated team today via phone 0121 803 6787 or email solihull@bluebirdcare.co.uk to learn more about our various home care services in Solihull and to see how we can help care for you or your loved one at home.
How to find the right care for you or your relative
1. Find your local office
Bluebird Care delivers care from locally based offices, find yours to start your care journey today.
2. Get in touch with us
Fill in our call back form or give us a call to find out how we can help you.
3. Assessment
We’ll come out to you to find out what you or your loved one needs to help stay independent at home.
4. Care team chosen & care starts
You'll be cared for by our specially trained team to support you to remain at home for as long as possible.
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