Home Care in Wigton

Wigton has 3 CQC registered home care agencies. 2 are rated Good, and 1 has not yet been rated. 1 of the 3 was last inspected more than three years ago.

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

Arranging and funding home care in Wigton

Nobody relishes starting with the means test, but knowing who pays for what decides how many hours of support are realistic, and that shapes every other decision. The first step is a care needs assessment, which costs nothing and is open to anybody who appears to need care and support, whatever their savings. It produces a written account of what the person needs and roughly how much help that implies.

The assessment and the council's part in it

Assessments are arranged through the Cumberland Council social care team, the body responsible for adult social care and for funded support in this area. A separate financial assessment then examines capital and income to establish what, if anything, the council will contribute. Asking for both at the same time avoids running one after the other. A relative can make the request on somebody else's behalf, and a hospital social work team can start the process for an inpatient.

Rates and what they cover

Home care is normally charged by the hour or by the visit, with rates differing according to the time of day, weekend cover and how complex the support is. Above the national capital threshold the cost falls to the person receiving care. Below it the council contributes on a means tested basis, and support can be taken as a direct payment, which allows somebody to buy their own care rather than accept an arrangement made for them. No single local figure applies, so ask in writing what the rate covers, how short visits are charged and what notice a change of schedule needs.

Choosing a provider in Wigton and what to look for

Where the three agencies stand

Chrysalis and Ralle Health Limited both hold a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission. Criffel Care Services Ltd has not yet been rated. An absent rating is not a criticism, but it does take away the evidence most families rely on, so questions about staffing, training and complaints have to be asked face to face and judged on the answers given.

The questions that reveal most

Ask how many different carers a client typically sees across a fortnight, and whether the rota allows travel time between calls. Ask what happens when a carer rings in sick, how late a visit must be before the office contacts you, and who answers the telephone in the evening and at weekends. Ask who writes the care plan, how often it is reviewed and what would trigger a review sooner. It is also worth asking how visits are covered in bad weather.

Reading a rating properly

Each overall rating summarises five separate judgements about whether a provider is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. An agency rated Good overall may still have been marked down on one of those five, and the full report says which. Those reports can be opened from the profiles listed here.

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