Care at Home and Housing support services is a real option for people who need assistance with their social personal and healthcare to lead independent lives. Many people who use homecare do so as a real alternative to moving into a care home.
Starting to think about meeting your care needs can be daunting. SCAH aims to answer some of your questions about homecare and help you find out where you can get more information.
Increasing personalisation of services is now the direction of travel for social work services. The population and policy expect it. Personalisation puts the person at the centre as a participant in shaping the services they get, and allows them to work with professionals and their carers to manage risk and resources.
Homecare, Care at Home & Housing support are just a few of the many forms of domiciliary care provided in the home by one or more Care or Support workers and if required Nurses to assist someone with their daily life.
Enabling people who need care to remain in their home helps maintain personal independence, comfort and contact with their local community. Homecare is flexible, with just the right amount of assistance at any one time.
Currently care may be funded from four streams
Your local authority social work team are obliged to perform an assessment of your care needs if you request it. If they agree that you need care, they will undertake a financial assessment. Taking your income and savings - but not the value of your home - into account, the financial assessment will establish your eligibility to receive financial assistance from the state. Here in Scotland people aged 65 and over can access Free personal Care.
There are several ways that care can be funded and in some cases service users may be required to make a financial contribution to their package of care. The local council may provide the care themselves or purchase from a list of approved agencies i.e. SCAH members .
Alternatively, you or your family may choose to fund your care, without any public funding assistance. You may choose to use a local Care at Home / housing Support Provider or possibly employ someone yourself. If you employ your own care / support worker you should be aware of your potential obligations as an employer with regards to health and safety, training, pensions an minimums wages etc.
A small but growing number of people take up the option of using the Direct Payments Scheme, where it is available. Here your local Authority gives you a cash entitlement and you then take responsibility for organising your own care.
Remember you can also enhance the range of services provided by your local authority by purchasing extra help from a Care at Home or Housing support provider.
VAT is not usually charged on homecare services. However, it is important to know whether any fees quoted by providers include VAT or not.
A comprehensive list of Care at home and Housing Support Providers is included on this web site link ??????or by telephoning ????????.
You will also find Care at Home and Housing Support providers listed in Yellow Pages under “Nurses’ Agencies and Care Agencies” or “Homecare Services”. You will also find details on the Yellow Pages website.
In the Thomson Directory providers are listed under “Homecare Services or Home Help Services – Private”. Look out for the SCAH logo in adverts in both directories. Local Authority Social Services departments may be able to provide a list of their approved organisations in your area.
The Care Commission in Scotland can supply lists of providers in your area, along with copies of inspection reports:
You wish to email or telephone a few Care at Home /Housing Support providers, confirm that they are members of SCAH. Ask them to send you their brochure and price list and service user guide. Providers are focused to deliver a care service for your individual and particular needs.
If you think you may be entitled to help with costs or Free Personal Care you can contact your local authority Social Services department for assistance.
The following questions may help with the selection of the most suitable service:
SCAH believe that a Service User, should have an option to choose and retain a provider of their choice for as long as is required. To achieve this and create the desired mixed economy of care in the delivery of services will require to explore new commissioning models based on partnership and delivery of personalised services; more effective partnership working between commissioners and providers; and effective joint working to address the needs of people who use services.
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providing a non-personal Care and Support service
* 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.
providing a personal Care and Support service
* 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.
providing an Enhanced/Intensive Complex Care service