Paying for care at home

[Ouchlikeholly]

Hi, my dad's currently receiving a free package of care after hospital discharge (4 visits a day). It's due to run out soon and the council will organise more care but my parents will have to pay. I feel like I should investigate all the private companies before going for this but they don't seem to have prices on the internet so it needs phonecalls and I'm struggling for time. Does anyone have any advice? Would it be bad just to go for the council organised care? They live in Birmingham if anyone has any local information. Thank you.

Generally local authorities can negotiate a cheaper rate for care, than you can if you ring an agency yourself. I’d go with the local authority initially at least!

get him assessed but adult social services for his care needs to see what funding and benefits he’s entitled to
care complies vary massively id post on local Facebook asking for recommendations

Ask Citizens Advice and Age UK for advice. The latter one are amazingly supportive for what you need.

If it's any help we were encouraged to find our own private carers as local authority ones could be anyone with little to no consistency.

We found private carers (through Home Instead) who made lots of effort to introduce themselves before starting properly and assured us that if a usual carer was on holiday then their replacement would be someone mum had already met, and they were true to their word.

We paid £17 an hour for normal time and £25ish an hour for weekends/bank holidays.

This was last year. (Mum is in a home now)

No idea about Birmingham op but it is good to look around. The initial care package is useful if needed when a person first comes out of hospital. It gives a useful space/time for you to work out what to do next.When my mother finished with this and considered paid care she found other options to council meant she has more choices about timings and what she wanted doing. For example she preferred 2 longer visits a day, in the morning and evening to help with dressing/showering ext. The morning was shower and dressed but she did her own breakfast. No mid day visit and she did herself a sandwich lunch.Evening they made her a hot meal, cleared kitchen including anything she hadn't managed them help with undressing. She was able to decide timings so 9.00 am morning. Chose 7.30 evening as o or was being helped to change for bed just before they left at 8.15. think cost was in 15 minute blocks . She had 45 mins morning and night. You could choose anything at a price.

I would recommend Home Instead, they were very good with my dad right up until we were pushed into permanent residential care for him after he came out of hospital and had worsening health issues.

It was expensive for him but well worth it and he got on really well with the team he had allocated for his care and looked forward to their visits twice a day.

Thanks all.

Have you looked into ‘continuous care’
You maybe entitled to it

You say that they will have to pay but remember the £23250 threshold is each not joint.

Home Instead are pricey and won't do calls less than an hour so if your parent needs less than that you might be better finding someone else. Maybe try My Care Selection - they are over the border in Worcestershire but are great at finding reliable care providers and if they don't cover Brum they should know an equivalent that does. 01905 382283

I'd recommend using an agency rather than a private individual, as then holidays etc will be covered. We came unstuck with this, and my mother insisted on having someone she knew in. We now use an agency....