Choosing care services
Home Care Services
There are exceptions, but most organisations offer ‘packages’ of care rather than separate care services. You may find the Yellow Pages or the small ads in the local paper useful for specific services such as cleaning services, gardening services, transport or meals.
Who can provide help in your home?
Choosing a home care service
Who can provide help in your home?
Help from privately-run and voluntary organisations
There are many care service providers in Pembrokeshire that you can buy care from.
The Contact Centre can provide you with a list of care providers. Tel: 01437 764551
You can also contact Care Inspectorate Wales (opens in a new tab) for a list of registered providers.
Tel: 0300 7900 126
For details of voluntary organisations that may be able to help, contact PAVS (opens in a new tab)
Tel: 01437 769422
Help from Adult Care
Adult Care will work with people, who qualify for their help, to identify which resources and support can be put into place to enable them where possible, to retain or maintain their independence.
Help at home will only be arranged for people who need a great deal of support; for example, people who need help with their personal care and people who have just come out of hospital.
Reablement
Reablement is short-term support, tailored to meet individual needs and to help restore independence after a period of illness in the community following discharge from hospital or loss of self confidence, or to prevent unnecessary hospital admission. The aim is to ensure you have the skills and confidence needed to live safely in your own home, without the need for long term care. Reablement support may also include the use of equipment and aids that enable and support you to do things for yourself.
Initial help may come from Adult Care, with ongoing long term care being provided by other service providers.
Tel: 01437 764551
e-mail: enquiries@pembrokeshire.gov.uk
Direct Payments
Direct Payments are designed to give you more independence, choice and control, in order to help you manage your own life in your own home. Direct payments can be made to:
- disabled people aged 16 or over (with short or long-term needs)
- disabled parents for children’s services
- carers aged 16 or over (including people with parental responsibility for a disabled child)
- elderly people who need community care services
Types of Care
Personal care
Help with such things as getting up, going to bed, dressing, undressing, washing, bathing, personal hygiene, eating and drinking, using the toilet, managing incontinence, tooth and denture care. It also includes help with health related tasks that are done under the guidance of a doctor or community nurse. All organisations offering personal care have to register with the CSSIW.
Nursing care
Given by qualified nurses, and can include tasks such as changing dressings or giving injections as well as general nursing care. All organisations offering nursing care have to be registered with CSSIW.
Night care
Organisations can provide both sleeping or waking night care. When you contact an organisation you should make clear what kind of care you need. If it involves any personal or nursing care, then the organisation needs to be registered with the CSSIW.
Live in help
Can be anything from a few days help in an emergency to long term help. If personal or nursing care is included, organisations offering live-in help need to be registered with CSSIW.
Other Services
If you do not need either personal or nursing care, you may wish to contact organisations that offer other home care services. At present these services do not have to be registered or inspected. They include domestic help, shopping, transport / drivers, befriending, socialisation, sitting services, gardening and meals. When you contact any organisation you should check exactly what they can offer and whether they can provide it in your home area. Some organisations offer these services as part of a care package, however you can also access services individually – see Maintaining Independence for more details.
Standards of care
Who sets the standards for organisations which provide care at home?
All organisations that provide personal or nursing care services to people in their own homes have to be registered and inspected to ensure they meet national care standards.
The Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) (opens in a new tab) is responsible for the registration and inspection of Domiciliary Care Agencies (which offer personal care) and Nurse Agencies (which offer care from qualified nurses). After they are registered agencies are inspected at least once a year to check that they are complying with National Minimum Standards as set by the government.
Employers’ associations
Some home care organisations belong to local or national associations.
For details about their standards/codes of practice contact:
Social Care Wales (opens in a new tab)
Choosing a home care service
When you contact an organisation providing care at home you want to be sure that it offers a high quality service, with trained staff who can provide the care you need. You should be specific about the kind of help you want, and do not hesitate to ask questions.
It is important that you know exactly what to expect, how much and what you will be paying for, and have confidence that those visiting your home are capable of providing what you need.
If you have a sight or hearing impairment ask whether home care staff have had training in caring for people with a sensory impairment.
If the organisation does not need to be registered you might ask the manager for references from satisfied clients.
Ask to see the organisation’s brochure and a copy of any code of conduct that they have for their staff. You may find that help from more than one organisation may be necessary to provide everything you need.
All staff giving personal or nursing care need to be checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service and against the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) register (or POCA where working with children is involved).