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adult social care

Care at home explained: support, providers and what to expect

Care at home explained: support, providers and what to expect


Getting help at home allows you to stay in familiar surroundings whilst retaining your independence.

For most people, it is important to stay living at home in familiar surroundings. If you or a loved one is starting to need extra help or support with daily tasks or personal care, getting care at home can be a great option.

You can receive assistance to carry out a range of tasks, from helping get dressed, using the toilet, to cooking or going out. 

Finding a care provider

Before you make any decisions regarding care, contact several providers and ask for a service user’s guide, their charges and a draft contract between you and the provider. Care Choices have created a helpful care at home checklist for you to download. 

Even if you expect to pay the full cost of your care, we can still arrange your care and support. There will be a charge for arrangement fees, this will vary depending on the level of our involvement. 

Care providers will often make every effort to match carers with clients based on cultural and religious backgrounds. This can include understanding specific cultural practices, dietary requirements, and religious observances. If you would prefer a carer of a specific gender, especially for personal or intimate care, providers will try and accommodate such requests.

It is important to communicate your preferences clearly when arranging care services. This helps ensure that your needs and comfort are prioritised, although they cannot always be guaranteed. If you have any specific requirements, do not hesitate to discuss them with your care provider.

Live Well Oxfordshire has a list of home care companies and micro-providers and independent carers that offer care at home.

Mirco-providers and independent carers

Great care can be provided by small organisations, and they can be responsive too. Mirco-providers or community catalysts are small community-based care and support services, they are independent of any larger organisation.

There are also independent care and support workers sometimes known as a personal assistant. Many are self-employed and they will be able to show you their HMRC self-employment status, insurance certificates and will invoice you for their services.

However, if you hire a support worker / personal assistant directly, you may become an employer and there are responsibilities that come with this. It’s also worth noting that care and support workers / personal assistants employed directly by you are not quality assured or checked by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Home care providers

Home care providers or agencies use their own professional care staff and manage the entire service for you. Most home care providers are regulated and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who are the independent regulator of health and social care in England. 

When looking for a care provider, it is a good idea to view the CQC’s inspection reports and quality ratings. If you are paying the full cost or want to arrange care services yourself, we can provide you a list of providers approved by the Care Quality Commission.

There is usually a 14-day cooling-off period for home care provider contracts, and the provider will inform you of their notice period if you want to or need to cancel their services.

The standard of care at home you should expect

If you receive support at home from a care provider, the standards you should expect are:

Home care staff should:

  • Introduce themselves when they arrive
  • Know you and your support plan
  • Be trained to deliver the support you need
  • Always deliver support to a good standard. 

When your home care worker visits you, they should:

  • Focus their attention on you
  • Be pleasant and treat you with dignity and respect
  • Do their best to arrive on time and let you know by phone if they will be late
  • Tell you when they are leaving
  • Check to see how they can best support you at the start of each visit
  • Carry out all agreed tasks
  • Make sure you are always comfortable.
  • Communicate and discuss topics that interest you
  • Check you are happy with the support you are given and encourage you to feed back where they can improve
  • Show you your care record if you ask for it
  • Be aware that their visit may affect other household members.

These standards have been jointly written by people who receive care in their home and care support agencies. They are the standards used by us to monitor the quality of services provided when we arrange a care package.

Compliment, comments or complaints

If you have a compliment, comments and or complaints about the support you receive, contact your care agency. Usually talking to someone in the service can put it right. 

We want to hear comments, compliments and complaints from people who use services. It doesn't matter if they are provided or commissioned by us or chosen and bought directly by people themselves.

We encourage people to talk to someone involved in providing their support and care. However, we are happy to respond if someone wants to talk outside of the immediate service they receive. We will work with the person to find the best and most local resolution where possible.

You can also call Age UK's Advice Line on 0800 678 1602 for information and advice about making a complaint. 

If you have made private, self-funded care arrangements, you can take your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if you have already complained using the care provider's complaints procedure and you're unhappy with the response.

What should I do if I am experiencing abuse or neglect?

If you feel you or a loved one is experiencing abuse or neglect, or feels at risk of abuse or neglect, contact us and we will investigate.

You can also contact Age UK Advice on 0800 678 1602 or call the Hourglass helpline on 0808 808 8141 to discuss the situation. The Hourglass helpline is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may be eligible for other types of care and support

Depending on your situation you may be eligible for free reablement, NHS continuing healthcare or the NHS fast track process.

Reablement

If you have been in hospital or had an illness or fall you may be eligible for reablement. This is short-term support provided by a group of specialists to help you get back to being independent at home. 

It is centred around helping with practical daily tasks and activities with an assessment based on what you can do now, what you aim to achieve and how we can help get you there. Free reablement care can last up to six weeks. 

NHS continuing healthcare

Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free health and social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing healthcare  and you can find out more about this option on the NHS website.

The NHS Fast Track process 

Is used to quickly assess and provide funding for individuals with rapidly deteriorating conditions, especially those entering end of life care. It ensures that a suitable care and support package is arranged promptly, typically within 48 hours of the assessment.

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