What are Support at Home - Home Care Services?

Support at Home Services are part of a range of caring and support services provided by either Social Work Services or purchased for you from Direct and Care Services (DACS) or a similar private agency. The aim of Support at Home Services is to meet your particular needs within your own home.

Home Care

This service provides a range of care tasks, which include assistance with personal care such as washing and dressing, assistance going to bed and getting out of bed and/or a range of practical domestic tasks. This service is open to service users of all ages and from all ethnic origins.

If you require support with more intense home care tasks such as assistance with catheter care, assistance with specialised feeding, assistance with stoma care and/or assistance with skin care, you can access a service known as Enhanced Home Care. This service is provided by a Home Carer who is trained to an enhanced level and receives support and guidance from a District Nurse.

Support at Home - Home Care Services are part of a range of caring and support services that can be arranged for you by Social Work Services, or you can arrange your own services through a Direct Payment.

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Who can access Home Care Services?

Home care services are for people who need help with personal care and/or practical domestic tasks. Social Work Services have limited budgets for providing care services. People who need the help most are prioritised for the service. Priority is given to people who:

• are at risk of going into care
• are at risk of going into hospital
• are returning from hospital
• are facing immediate risk of injury
• have a terminal illness
• are vulnerable children and families
• are carers

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How do I arrange a Home Care Service?

If you need help and support at home contact your local social work office to request an assessment of your needs. You can contact the team directly or someone can contact them on your behalf such as a relative, a friend or your doctor.

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What will it cost?

There is a charge for home care services. This is based upon your income rather than the amount of services you need. Everyone who is referred for a home care service will have a financial assessment to assess his or her ability to pay. This also involves a benefits check. Home care services are provided free of charge to people whose income is below the Council charging threshold – see Welfare Rights for more information.

If you are 65 years or over you will not be charged for personal care tasks. Please see our leaflet Free personal care if you are living at home (82Kb,10 pages) for further information. This leaflet is available in portable document format (PDF) for downloading and requires the Adobe reader to access it. The Adobe Acrobat reader can be downloaded for free at the Adobe Web site.

There are other services available to support you within your home and these include the Handyperson Service, Meals at Home and Home from Hospital services. More information is available on Social Work Services and Direct and Care Services (DACS).

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The following leaflet provides further information on:

• Free personal care if you are living at home 82kb (10 pages)

This document is available in portable document format for downloading.  The Adobe Acrobat reader can be freely downloaded from the Adobe Web site.

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