Paying for private at home care

It won't be £52 per hour 2 x £27 is £54 for starters

The half hour rate is usually higher than the hourly rate because of economies of scale.

No you wouldn't be paying that much if you went via social services. She would pay the full amount of whatever the local authority would be charged by an agency which is usually a lot less p/h than going privately.

The downside of that cheaper rate is that you have to go with whatever agencies social services contract with.

I'm not sure a half hour visit is long enough for a shower visit though. Not for someone with mobility issues to get into the shower, washed, out again, dry, dressed without it being a huge rush.

I mean less money for my client to have to pay - not less money for my client lol.

The payment in advance is so that the care agency gets paid regardless of whether a client cancels, gets admitted into hospital, or passes away. They will still have to pay their carers and costs so the 4 weeks in advance is normal. It's not a deposit, you're just paying for the care in advance.

The fees sound ok(ish) although I wonder if it wouldn't be just a little bit more expensive to make it a full hour instead of half an hour. Most carers will do light housework to fill in the time. Bear in mind that a lot of time in homecare is spent driving so 60 minute calls are probably more economical than 30 minute ones, bearing in mind that the amount of driving will be the same.

You can arrange your own care or go through social services but if you're paying it will be quicker and easier to organise care yourself. No different price wise.

Have you considered using a local self employed carer. This is what I do. My rates are £20 an hour all inclusive so it's more money for me and less money for my client. I get plenty of work.

Your mum will hate the carers for the first 2 weeks. For the next 4 weeks she will tolerate them. After that, she will start to look forward to them coming.

A lot of what you pay for with private agency care is the fact that you are always covered. So you may get it cheaper with a private arrangement, but they can let you down and it can be a nightmare (experience of this). We had private care for my Mum as we tried to have her living with us but she wouldn't wash/bath or shower. I said to stay living here she had to have a bath or shower at least weekly - as she couldn't do this herself I paid for a carer.

In the end it didn't work out with her here she tried to rule the roost over my two DS (late teens) who were actually lovely to her, but because they didn't have "short back and sides" hair cuts and wear suits and their mates came round (nothing crazy, just normal stuff like gaming and the odd beer each) I said I was sorry she needed to go somewhere else. Actually she now absolutely loves the home she is in due to the fact their food is better than mine, they do the laundy better and she has people to talk to! And although it's expensive (1100 pw) it's worth it.

The agency will confirm what the 4 weeks upfront covers. What do you want the carer to do 3 times a week, half an hour wont be long enough for a nice shower, hairwash, getting dressed. She might be better off with an hours visit twice a week. She can apply for attendance allowance to help cover the cost if thats a concern. It might be worth seeing if she will agree to an ot home assessment ro ask if there is any equipment or services that might make life a bit easier for her to be independent. Its free for small adaptations.

I wonder how much the agency pay the carer out of that £52 per hour?

Is your mum resistant to care altogether or is she unhappy with the cost?