Scottish Care at Home

Service user FAQs

Scottish Care - Care at Home is committed to providing the most comprehensive support service available to those who rely on care at Home providers. In this section we have compiled a list of the most common concerns and provide answers.

Who pays for Care at Home in Scotland for people aged 65 or over

If you live in Scotland and are age 65 or over you will not be charged for personal care. Personal care is defined in section 2(28) of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 as...

"care which relates to the day to day physical tasks and needs of the person cared for (as for example, but without prejudice to that generality, to eating and washing) and to mental processes related to those tasks and needs (as for example, but without prejudice to that generality, to remembering to eat and wash); and "personal support" means counselling, or other help, provided as part of a planned programme of care." The amount of free care you will receive is determined by a local authority assessment and there is no set limit to the amount they can provide. This care can be provided by the local authority or alternatively you can ask for a direct payment.

Your benefits, including attendance allowance or disability living allowance will not be affected. Examples of free personal care are outlined in the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 and includes help with:

• personal assistance – eg help with dressing, getting up and going to bed, help with moving about indoors, using a hoist, help with surgical appliances and manual aids;
• personal hygiene – eg bathing, showering, washing hair, shaving, nail care, oral hygiene;
• continence management – eg toileting, catheter/stoma care, skin care, bed changing, incontinence laundry;
• dealing with problems arising from immobility;
• simple treatments – eg assistance with medication, simple dressings, eye drops, oxygen therapy and the application of creams and lotions;
• counselling and psychological support including behaviour management and the provision of reminding and safety devices;
• food and diet – eg assisting with the preparation of food, assisting in the fulfilment of special dietary needs

The definition of free personal care covers physical assistance with care and help with the mental processes related to that care – eg helping someone to remember to wash.

Free personal care payments start from the date the assessed service is provided and cannot be backdated (eg to the date of referral or date of assessment). If you are assessed as requiring free personal care but told that you will have to wait before this can be provided, seek further advice. If you are admitted to hospital, payments continue for 2 weeks.

You may still be charged for non-personal care such as day care, lunch clubs, meals on wheels, community alarms and help with shopping and housework. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) has produced guidance on these charges:

• guidance on charging policies for non-residential services that enable older people to remain in their own home
• pension credit and home care charging

The aim of the guidance is to leave the service user with at least the equivalent of their pension credit assessment plus 16.5%.

Guidance on charging for domiciliary care is contained within CCD 5/2004 and CCD 12/2004.

Who pays for Care Scotland for people under age 65

Each local authority has a different charging policy for services, so charges can vary depending on where you live. Your carer should not have to pay for services he or she is assessed as needing, as these services are to help care for you.

Assessment of what you have to pay is based on what you can afford, taking into account your income and what you need to meet everyday costs and any extra costs because of disability. If your income is low enough the social work department will pay some or all of the costs.

What is care in the home?

Support for people to enable them to live as independently as possible in their own homes.

Many Scottish Care - Care at Home member organisations provide support 24hrs per day 7 days per week 365 days per year.

Who provides the home care?

Home care may be provided by your local Authority , voluntary sector or private sector providers.

What services do they provide?

Scottish Care - Care at Home Members Services are registered with the Care Commission as a Support Service – Care at Home and or a Housing Support service for the individual needs of service users.

Care At Home - Non Personal Support / Home Help – Care at Home / Support registration - We can suggest funding for this is mainly for over 65’s. Care at Home - Personal Support – Care at Home / Support service registration but can be all ages and includes FPC, direct payments ILF, GAE, Discharge planning monies etc Care at Home - Intensive Support – Care at Home / Support service registration – as above and we may see FPNC paid to our sector for this group Housing Support / Supporting People – Housing Support Registration mainly funded by supporting people and mainly for under 65’s.

Care At Home

Non Personal Support

• Cleaning
• Basic Housework
• Shopping
• Washing Clothes/Laundry
• Lighting Fires
• Paying Bills
• Collecting Pensions
• Ironing
• Escort Work
• Meal Preparation*
• Other

Personal Support

• Washing
• Using the toilet
• Dressing
• Feeding
• Sitting service
• Administration of Medication
• Bathing
• Getting in and out of Bed
• Ted Stockings
• Continence Care
• Personal Help
• Meal Preparation*

Intensive Support

• Oral Hygiene
• Specialised Diet
• Continence Care
• Catheter Care
• Peg Feeding
• Stoma Care
• Double Handling
• Use of Hoists
• Nebuliser
• Rehabilitation
• Renal Assistance

* Meal Preparation can be either domestic or personal dependent on level of disability. The position of the council, as supported by COSLA, is that meal preparation is only considered to be a personal task where the client requires the combination of meal preparation and assistance with feeding. Otherwise it is considered to be a domestic task.

Housing Support / Supporting People Tasks

• General counselling and support including befriending, advising on food preparation, reminding and non-specialist counselling where this does not overlap with similar services provided as personal care or personal support.
• Assisting with the security of the dwelling required because of the needs of the service user.
• Assisting with the maintenance of the safety of the dwelling.
• Advising and supervising service users on the use of domestic equipment and appliances.
• Assisting with arranging minor repairs to and servicing of a service user's own domestic equipment and appliances.
• Providing life skills training in maintaining the dwelling and curtilage in appropriate condition.
• Assisting the service user to engage with individuals, professionals and other bodies with an interest in the welfare of the service user.
• Arranging adaptations to enable the service user to cope with disability.
• Advising or assisting the service user with personal budgeting and debt counselling.
• Advising or assisting the service user in dealing with relationships and disputes with neighbours.
• Advising or assisting the service user in dealing with benefit claims and other official correspondence relevant to sustaining occupancy of the dwelling.
• Advising or assisting with resettlement of the service user.
• Advising or assisting the service user to enable him or her to move on to accommodation where less intense support is required.
• Assisting with shopping and errands where this does not overlap with similar services provided as personal care or personal support.
• Providing and maintaining emergency alarm and call systems in accommodation designed or adapted for and occupied by elderly, sick or disabled people.
• Responding to emergency alarm calls where such calls relate to any of the housing support services prescribed in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 (Housing Support Services) Regulations 2002, in accommodation designed or adapted for and occupied by elderly, sick or disabled people.
• Controlling access to individual service users' rooms.
• Cleaning of service users' own rooms and windows.
• Providing for the costs of resettlement services.
• Encouraging social intercourse, and welfare checks for residents of accommodation supported by either a resident warden or a non-resident warden with a system for calling that warden where this does not overlap with similar services provided as personal care or personal support.
• Arranging social events for residents of accommodation supported by either a resident warden or a non-resident warden with a system for calling that warden.

How can you get hold of this service?

Your local Authority Social work department needs to carry out an assessment.Staff talk with you about your needs and find out how best to support you.

If you want to contact home care agencies to make your own private arrangements, you may like to use our <<<‘Choosing Care’>>>> section of this website for more information.

What standard of service can you expect?

Scottish Care - Care at Home members are committed to providing quality care. All Care at Home and Housing support providers s are registered with Care Commission.

How do you pay for this service?

The local Authority will complete a financial assessment to advise what you will have to pay.

What if you have a complaint?

Scottish Care - Care at Home members are committed to providing quality services. if you have any complaints, suggestions or compliments about the service you receive contact your provider. You may also contact the Care Commission.