Question 1

Can the council fund home care in Bournemouth?

Accepted Answer

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council can fund support at home where the care needs assessment identifies eligible needs and a financial assessment shows the person cannot meet the full cost themselves. The financial assessment looks at income and savings, and the value of the property someone lives in is not counted for care delivered at home. Those who qualify may receive a direct payment to arrange their own support or a package commissioned for them. People assessed as able to pay in full arrange care privately but keep the right to an assessment and to advice.

Question 2

How do we arrange a care needs assessment in Bournemouth?

Accepted Answer

Contact the adult social care team at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and ask for a care needs assessment. It is free and open to anyone who appears to need care and support, whatever their income or savings, and it can be requested by the person or by a relative acting for them. The assessment considers what someone manages alone, where they struggle and what help would make a difference. A family member providing regular support can also request a separate carer's assessment.

Question 3

How far in advance should we start looking?

Accepted Answer

Begin as soon as the need becomes foreseeable rather than waiting for something to go wrong, because the assessment and the setting up of a rota both take time. Agencies in Bournemouth may not have capacity in the exact slots you want, and early mornings and bedtimes are the hardest to fill. Where care follows a hospital discharge the timescale is much shorter and the discharge team will usually arrange something interim. It is worth reviewing that arrangement once the immediate pressure has eased.

Question 4

Which providers in Bournemouth offer home care?

Accepted Answer

Sixty one home care agencies registered with the Care Quality Commission are listed for Bournemouth on this page. They include Better Care at Home East, which holds an Outstanding rating, alongside agencies such as A1 Care, Adonai Care Services Ltd and Care South Home Care Services Dorset. Each has its own profile giving registration details and any published inspection outcome. Opening a profile is the quickest way to check what an agency is registered to provide.

Question 5

What should we ask a home care agency in Bournemouth before choosing?

Accepted Answer

Ask how carers are recruited and trained, and whether a small consistent team would attend rather than a rotating set of faces. Ask how the care plan is drawn up, how often it is reviewed and how you would be told about anything that changed. Ask what happens when a carer is delayed and how you contact someone outside office hours. It is reasonable to ask for the registered manager's name and to see a sample care plan before deciding.

Question 6

What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?

Accepted Answer

A care home provides accommodation together with help in the everyday business of living, such as washing, dressing, meals and support with medication. A nursing home offers the same and additionally keeps registered nurses on duty at all hours, so it can meet needs requiring clinical care. Home care is different from both, because the carer travels to the person rather than the person moving into a building. Many families use home care first and consider residential options only when visits can no longer meet the need safely.

Home Care in Bournemouth

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