We all need care at sometime in our lives, but what kind of care? Care comes in many forms. For instance, we may need care in the home or in a supported setting or in a registered home or Hospice.

How does one access these different forms of care? and how would we know which one would be needed for ourselves or our loved one?

What do you need to look for? Who controls the care package? How would we complain if things did not seem right?

One thing is a constant. All care is monitored and paid for by the local council. How well it is monitored is sometimes debatable. But one thing is for sure you need to be able to know what to look for and how you can complain if your care is to you substandard.

To arrange care for yourself or for a loved one you need to be able to access the professional bodies to help arrange the care. This means you need to see your doctor who should be able to decide with you what care the person needs. He would then be able to arrange for a Social worker to come and assess your needs thoroughly.

If you require care in your home, it will be extensively discussed with you where you need help, maybe it is with getting around or with meals and washing or personal care such as showering,dressing,washing and so on. The social worker should then assess whether you need benefits and a care grant from the local council. You are then free to choose whether you employ your own support or go to an agency for this.

There are plenty of good private agencies and also charitable agencies which ones you use depends which ones are active in your area, you need to investigate as every area may be different. I will list some of these at the end of this article. Some are specific to certain illnesses or injury.

Every Company who provides care has to be registered with the Local Council in the area in which they provide care.

If you or someone you love requires more than home care, then you may need to investigate registered permanent care homes. These fall into two main categories.

Supported Living

Where the person will be supported to live as normal a life as possible with help and support and encouragement to improve and decide what they would like to do with their life including work of some sort, help with tasks around the home such as cooking, cleaning, and social gatherings or accessing the theatre, pubs, or cinema and so on.

Registered Care Home

This is when a higher level of care or nursing is required. The difference is important because this is where a person will need an advocate or family member to make sure that the standard of care is carried out with excellent nursing or support to give the person in their care a good quality of life. There is NO EXCUSE for substandard Care!

All Registered care is monitored and Registered by the NATIONAL CARE STANDARDS COMMISSION. A department within this called CSCI ( COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL CARE INSPECTION ) whose aim is to make social care better for people. These are the people you complain to if you have a complaint regarding your loved ones care. there are full details on their website.

Each Registered home must have a statement of purpose to CSCI standards. If you need to know more about the standards required or need help please feel free to email me.