The population is aging, which creates a growing demand for staff to care for the elderly and puts a drain on resources. Budgets are tight, which together with the number of older individuals affected by disease, disability and dementia means that it’s challenging for care commissioners to commission the quality care needed to ensure that the elderly can continue to live safely and with dignity.
The Care Quality Commission has warned about growing injustice in care provision. Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:
‘As the pressures on our social care system become ever more intense, it’s increasingly ‘pot luck’ as to whether you get a good service or not or, indeed, any service at all.’
hometouch offers both introductory care and fully managed care, regulated by the Care Quality Commission. With professional carers, nationwide coverage and the size and flexibility to provide a speedy and efficient service, hometouch can rapidly and reliably respond to the demands of care commissioning groups.
Why home care?
Home care can support the elderly and infirm, enabling them to continue living in the home they love, in the heart of their family and community. This helps them maintain regular routines, enjoy social interactions and to stay together with loved partners or pets. Living in a familiar environment can help maintain function in people affected by dementia, so improving independence and quality of life. In summary, good home care offers a number of benefits:
- Home care can support people to stay in familiar surroundings
- An individual’s dignity is protected and their human rights are respected
- Home care may reduce emergency service use and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions
- Home care can improve users’ level of function and quality of life
- Home care can support family carers and improve their wellbeing
What is good home care?
Live in care can help elderly people live safely in their own home, delaying or preventing the need for residential care. However, to successfully achieve this, home care needs to provide more than practical assistance. hometouch offers effective and efficient home care, focused on the needs of the individual. Our professional care givers offer emotional, social and physical support to fully address each person’s care specific needs.
Each person is different, so careful assessment and planning are key. As well as considering practical matters like safe mobility, self-care and nutrition, it’s also important to think about the other factors that make life joyful and worth living. Person-centred care takes account of each individual’s interests, abilities and personal preferences. Seeing them as people, rather than a list of support tasks.
When it comes to commissioning home care, it should be safe, effective, caring, well-led, and responsive to people’s needs. However, research in Europe also shows that elderly individuals look for professional caregivers that are empathetic, kind, and understanding, punctual and reliable, who make time for conversation and interaction and have an orderly appearance. We carefully vet our carers, ensuring that qualifications, references, DBS checks and any necessary visas or permits have all in order.
The Hometouch difference
Hometouch was founded by Dr Jamie Wilson, an NHS physician with experience in working with the elderly. He observed how difficult it was to access reliable, safe and affordable care at home. He developed Hometouch to offer a quality service at an affordable price.
Support throughout the commissioning cycle
The commissioning cycle starts with detailed assessment and continues through careful planning and effective delivery with ongoing review of service efficiency and outcomes. The Social Care Institute for Excellence says:
‘To improve the quality and value of services, commissioners should look at all areas of the commissioning cycle – from assessment through planning and delivery to review.’
They advocate the following:
- Commissioning that is based on evidence
- Commissioning that incentivises providers to achieve defined outcomes
- Having a diverse range of service providers
- All staff working as a team
hometouch offers a fully managed clinical service that is regulated by the Care Quality Commission. We offer care based on latest research and can provide a fully managed clinical service. hometouch caregivers have the skills to provide complex care support, reablement and intermediate care, and assistance to maintain brain health and cognitive function.
Hometouch’s service includes
- A dedicated Nurse Manager for your case
- A home visit to conduct a personal assessment
- A care plan drawn up by our in-house nursing team
- Regular check-ins and reviews of your care plan
- Regulation by the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
hometouch works with many local authorities and NHS trusts to provide excellent carers nationwide. Are you a case manager, CCG representative or part of a discharge team? Find out more about how we work with partners and those commissioning home care.
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Jane has over 20 years’ experience as a health writer and TV presenter. Jane writes on a wide variety of clinical and care topics – from explaining the latest studies and research to unpacking conditions and discussing treatment options. Jane holds a MBBS degree from Imperial College, London and spent seven years working in the NHS.
