Do you use a care agency to care for yourself, a relative etc?

Hello - we use Home Instead for my father who is living with dementia and Parkinson’s and has 24 hour live in care. We use a midlands branch where my father lives but I would hope the quality of their services is throughout the region. There is a Dulwich / Lambeth / Wandsworth branch

https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/wandsworth-lambeth/

Hope your friend is ok.

Is the care being provided via local social service dept? Has your relative received an assessment of their needs from a social worker?

You may wish to look at the possibility of having a Personal Budget which allows freedom to choose own carers and pay them directly. It is quite a difficult thing to explain but look up Age UK or Independent Age's web site as they both have explanatory booklets/leaflets.

Hello - we use Home Instead for my father who is living with dementia and Parkinson’s and has 24 hour live in care. We use a midlands branch where my father lives but I would hope the quality of their services is throughout the region. There is a Dulwich / Lambeth / Wandsworth branch

https://www.homeinstead.co.uk/wandsworth-lambeth/

Hope your friend is ok.

Thanks for this, the friend has dementia and he has carers coming in several times a day. It was orgnisaed by adult social care and the service is terrible.

Is the care being provided via local social service dept? Has your relative received an assessment of their needs from a social worker?

You may wish to look at the possibility of having a Personal Budget which allows freedom to choose own carers and pay them directly. It is quite a difficult thing to explain but look up Age UK or Independent Age's web site as they both have explanatory booklets/leaflets.

wow, so the builk of the money goes to the agency. This personal budget system sounds interesting, I am expecting a call from the allocated social worker tomorrow so i will talk to her about personal budget and maybe google might help, thank you :)

From my experience, carers get paid roughly £11.00 per hour. Homeinstead have a minimum period of an hour per visit. Some other agencies only give carers 15 minutes then off to the next one.

I assume your relative would like to remain in their own home.

There are some good care homes in East Dulwich.

I would look up Age UK/Independent Age leaflets before talking to social worker. Some SWs are not fully conversant with PB and may not give you enough information.

If you go for a PB and organise your own carers you effectively become an employer dealing with NI/Tax etc. However, there are organisations that will administer all the paperwork.