You Have a Choice: How to Choose the Care Provider You Want

 

Making Choices with Caremark

Are You Happy with The Care Provider That Was Chosen for You?

If you are receiving home care that is funded wholly or partially through social services you have a right to choose your home care provider. There is nothing wrong with allowing social services to set up everything for you. However, you may feel that you want the independence and autonomy that comes with choosing your own provider.

How to Choose Your Care Provider

It is very simple. If you want to choose your own provider the first thing to do is ask for a direct payment. If you have qualified for social services funding, you will have been allocated a personal budget. Having a direct payment means that your personal budget is paid directly to you. This allows you to deal directly with the home care provider of your choice. For more information about direct payments, go to this article.

With a small number of exceptions, you have a right to a direct payment. 

The law is very clear about this. With a small number of exceptions, you have a right to a direct payment. Section 31 of the Care Act 2014 says that if you request a direct payment, the Local Authority to which the request is made “must” make the payment to you. In an Act of Parliament, the word “must” used in this context means that a duty is imposed on a body or bodies, in this case Local Authorities. Where there is a duty imposed on a body there is usually a right granted to another allowing enforcement of that duty. In this case you have the right to a direct payment that is enforceable against the Local Authority.

Choosing Your Home Care Provider

Once you have a direct payment, you can go about choosing your home care provider. You cannot use you direct payment for just anything. It must be used to pay for goods and services that meet your care needs. You can, however, choose your home care provider. The people who carry out your care needs assessment and financial assessment  may wish to advise you about providers ans they may suggest that you go with one of the Local Authority providers: but the choice is yours. 

There is plenty of information available about home care providers in your area. A very useful website is www.homecare.co.uk. This site has a search facility that allows you to type in your postcode and it will return home care providers within a chosen distance of that post code.

The people who carry out your care needs assessment and financial assessment  may wish to advise you about providers, they may suggest that you go with one of the Local Authority providers: but the choice is yours. 

I have written quite extensively about choosing home care providers. You will find this article very helpful.  If you are looking for live-in care, take a look at this article.

To Summarise...

...very simply: you have a choice.

01843 235910 : 01304 892448

www.caremark.co.uk/thanet : www.caremark.co.uk/dover

thanet@caremark.co.uk : dover@caremark.co.uk

An Outline of the Main Sources of Health and Social Care Funding

Introduction

Finding information about health social care funding can be likened with searching for the source of the Nile: Everyone knows it must exist somewhere. My aim in this article is to explain the principal sources of funding (primarily I address funding for domiciliary care) and provide links that you can follow for more detailed information. Just a word of caution here. I provide links to some of my own articles, which in some cases may contain figures that were accurate at the time. It is always worth bearing in mind that any figures cited may now differ.

Social Services Funding

Funding from social services is means tested. Therefore you may qualify and have to make no contribution; you may qualify and have to make a contribution, or you may not qualify. Prior to any means test being conducted, you will have to have a care needs assessment. This article explains about the care needs assessment. Although it refers specifically to Kent County Council, the principles stated apply wherever you are in England. This article explains about means tests. Again, it refers to Kent County Council but the principles are general.

If you qualify for social services funding you now have a choice. Social services can set up everything for you and that will suit many people. However, you will have been awarded what is called a personal budget. You can take this budget in the form of a direct payment. You can then use this money to purchase your own home care. If you have care from a private provider, you may well have to make a contribution from your own funds. Many people are happy to do this.

With a small number of exceptions, you have a right to a direct payment. A right that is enshrined in law - in the Care Act 2014. You do not have to have your home care through social services. You do not have to have your home care arranged by social services. You do not have to have your home care from a company recommended by social services. You have a right to choose; this right cannot be denied to you.

Social care funding is a controversial topic. You may recall that during the 2017 election the Conservative Party's manifesto proposals for funding social care were met with the most hostile criticism. The proposals were so badly received that is arguable that they contributed significantly to the Conservatives poor showing at the polls. I have been saying since then that history will not judge this government on brexit alone. It will judge it to a large degree on what - if anything - it does about funding social care.

Self Funding

If you do not qualify for social care funding you will have to fund your care yourself. This article offers you some advice about choosing home care. Essentially your choices are: use a private domiciliary care provider; employ you own carers directly; use self-employed carers. Option one is likely to be the most expensive. Options two and three clearly provide you with a financial incentive. There are, though, a few things to bear in mind. 

I go into a little detail about the things to bear in mind in this article. Although this article was written expressly about live-in care, the challenges of employing carers or using self-employed carers are identical whether you are talking about live-in care or other types of domiciliary care. In brief, if you employ a carer, you are an employer and have all the responsibilities that employers have. If you engage a self-employed carer who works exclusively for you, as far as HMRC is concerned you are an employer.

Continuing Health Care Funding

If you are assessed as having primary health need, You may qualify for financial support through NHS Continuing Health Care Funding. The NHS Choices website provides a very unhelpful circular definition of primary health need. Assessments are carried out by a multidisciplinary NHS team. There is no right to an assessment, but if it seems that you might need NHSCHC then the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for your area must carry out an assessment. 

There is no means test for Continuing Health Care funding. As with social care funding there is a mechanism for you to have a personal budget, called a personal health budget. Once again, this is something to which you have a right, with a few exceptions.

Intermediate Care

There are occasions when you might need  little bit of help to maintain or regain your independence, for example, when you are due to be discharged from hospital. In such circumstances, you may qualify for intermediate care. This article explains about intermediate care. There is no means test for intermediate care.

Enablment or Reablement

The approach underpinning reablement is to help you to live your life independently. Reablement workers are not charged with the responsibility of doing things for you; they are responsible for helping you become confident and competent in doing things for yourself. This article gives more details. Again, there is no means test for those who qualify.

If you would like more information about any of the above, follow the links or telephone me at Caremark Thanet on the number below.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Caremark Thanet: Our Ethos, Our Values, Our Vision, Your Care, Your Choice

Introduction

My name is Garry Costain and I’m the managing director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider serving the residents of Thanet. The company was set up by my wife, Jayne, and me in 2012. We were registered with the Care Quality Commission in November 2012 and we delivered care to our first customer in December 2012.

Our Ethos

Right from the start we had a very clear ethos. This has never changed; it never will change; it is very simple. We believe that our customers are the most important people for our business; that our care and support workers are the most important people in our business; that a socially responsible business is most important for everyone. We are part of the service sector. We provide an essential service often to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. We will never compromise on the quality of the care that we provide and this is reflected in our values.

Our Values

If you're looking for home care for yourself or for another; you have a choice. We’d like you to choose in our favour. But, why should you? We’d like you to become our customer, remain our customer and recommend us to others. Why should you?  Those people to whom you recommend us; we’d like them, in turn, to become our customers. But, why should they?

If we cannot meet your needs and exceed your expectations; there is very little incentive for you to become one of our customers. We know you have a choice. Therefore, we aim to provide a service of the highest quality. And everything starts with our values.

1.      Our duty is to do all we can to provide an outstanding service to you. Providing a service to you is not an inconvenience. It is the reason that we exist. If people did not want our services, Caremark Thanet would not be needed. You pay to receive a service. Providing that service is not an inconvenience, it is a privilege, it is our duty, it is a privileged duty.

2.      Our duty is to provide a service that meets your needs. If we are unable to do this we should explain this to you. The service we provide to you should respond to your changing needs.

3.     Our duty is to uphold your dignity, support your independence and promote your safety. However, we recognize that it is not for us to attempt to eliminate risk from your life. On the contrary, we recognize that there is dignity in risk. We believe that the independence to determine the course of our lives is something we should cherish for ourselves and promote for others. Maintaining independence may involve taking risks. Taking risks promotes dignity, enriches lives and empowers the risk taker. To deny this opportunity to our customers would be to disregard our duty.

4.      Our duty is to provide help not to take over. Where possible, we should do all we can to ensure that you are an active participant in your care not a passive recipient. 

5.      Our duty is to do all we can to help you to remain as independent as possible and to remain living in your home for as long as possible. For many of us, the thought of having to leave our homes is unbearable. Our homes are part of us; and we are part of our homes. They often reflect our identities and the identities of other significant people in our lives. They are our tranquil sanctuaries from the disorder and confusion of a turbulent world. Our homes hold our dearest memories and are where we are most comfortable. Helping you remain in your home is, perhaps, the single most important thing we do.

6.      Caremark Thanet is a socially responsible local business. Where possible we buy our supplies from other local businesses. Local businesses supporting local businesses is good for the local economy and local people.

Our Vision

Our vision is ambitious: To be Thanet’s first choice private domiciliary care provider for customers and carers.

Your Care, Your Choice

Few of us even want to think about having domiciliary care; for many of us, however, it is something we must do. When we provide your care, our relationship is one based on more than a mere exchange. It is one based on trust. Your trust is one of the most precious things you can grant. Your grant is contingent; not constant. We hold it with confidence never conceit. We know you have a choice.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.