Home Care in Hassocks

Hassocks has 3 CQC registered home care agencies. 3 are rated Good. All 3 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

Picking a home care agency in Hassocks

Be precise about the help you need

Home care is bought by the visit, so the shape of the package matters as much as the provider. Work out what is actually needed before you ring round: how many calls a day, at roughly what times, how long each should last, and whether any involve two carers or a hoist. Personal care, prompting medication, preparing meals and sitting with someone so a relative can get out are all different tasks with different costs. An agency that asks careful questions at this stage is usually the one that plans rotas well.

What the ratings do and do not tell you

Sussex Homecare (Mid Sussex) Limited, Elite Choice Home Care Limited and Right At Home Mid Sussex each hold a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission. Since all three sit at the same grade, the rating alone will not settle the choice, so the reports underneath are where the useful detail lives. Read what inspectors said about staff training, how the agency handled missed or late calls, and whether people using the service felt listened to when they raised something.

Continuity is the thing to press on

Ask how many different carers would come in a typical fortnight, and whether the same small team can be kept. Ask what happens when a carer is ill, how late a call has to be before the office tells you, and who answers the phone at the weekend. Request that your relative meets the carers before the package starts, and check how the care plan is reviewed once the work is under way.

Getting an assessment and sorting out the cost

Ask for a care needs assessment

Anyone who appears to need help is entitled to an assessment, and it is worth requesting even where a family expects to pay privately, because it sets out eligible needs in writing and often turns up practical support such as equipment or a community alarm. You can approach West Sussex County Council adult social care directly, or ask a hospital team or general practitioner to make the referral. A financial assessment is then carried out separately, looking at income and savings.

What home care costs

Agencies charge an hourly rate, usually higher at weekends and on bank holidays, and short calls often cost proportionally more than longer ones. Ask each of the three providers here for its rates in writing, including travel charges, minimum visit lengths and notice periods for cancelling a call. Where the council contributes, you can ask about a direct payment, which lets you commission the agency yourself rather than accept an allocated one. Attendance Allowance and Pension Credit are worth checking too, as neither depends on the council's assessment.

Home Care near Hassocks

• Burgess Hill
• Haywards Heath
• Hove
• Brighton
• Shoreham-by-sea
• Lewes