If you're having difficulty with everyday tasks around the home, such as preparing meals, housework or personal care, there are services available to help you.
Care at home services, sometimes known as homecare or domiciliary care, is support provided in the home by careworkers to help you to look after yourself and your home, so that you can stay independent for longer.
Care at home can be flexible, with just the right amount of assistance given at any one time. You may need a small amount of support with everyday tasks while you're recovering from an illness, or extended visiting homecare over a longer period, or live-in care around the clock.
The kind of services available to help you in your own home can include:
• Getting in and out of bed
• Washing and dressing
• Preparing meals
• Cleaning
• Shopping
• Going out and about
• Companionship
It’s important to remember that as well as care at home, there are other options available to help you to continue to live independently in your own home. Explore Live Well B&NES Adults or use the search bar at the top of the pages to find a range of services including services supporting independent living, meals for adults, home adaptations, assistive technology and much more.
Some care at home providers are locally based while other agencies will provide services across the whole country.
Find providers offering services in our area via our Find care at home directory, which gives key information about each service including whether they are Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered.
Most care at home providers offering personal care (such as washing, dressing and toileting) must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who monitor, inspect and regulate services and publish what they find. Search CQC homecare for providers and compare ratings and services.
Individuals or small enterprises who provide care at home, have eight or fewer workers and are independent of any larger organisation, are sometimes called micro-providers. If they are contracted directly by the person receiving care (or related third party), are working wholly under their direction and are registered as a sole trader, they are exempt from Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulation, even if providing personal care. Find local micro-providers by searching Community Catalysts B&NES Small Good Stuff directory.
The Homecare Association can give you details of care at home providers that follow its code of practice.
When choosing a care at home provider, think about what things you need support with, when you’d like help and what’s most important to you. Ask friends or relatives for recommendations of providers that they've used. Contact several providers, so you have a choice. Write a list of questions you have or use a prepared list such as this Care Choices Homecare Agency checklist.
Instead of using a care at home service, you might consider employing a personal assistant who provides support to someone who needs assistance with daily tasks.
The Reablement service provides short-term therapy and support by working with you to prevent hospital admission, this can take place in your own home, or a care home. This service is free and accessed via your GP, paramedic or Health Care Professional.
Age UK’s Getting help at home, offers comprehensive guidance on what to do if you need care and support at home.
You may wish to buy your support yourself from a provider. If you’re not sure what your needs are, or if you think you need help arranging your support, you can request a social care and support assessment, regardless of your financial situation. You might be asked to contribute to the cost of some of the services recommended, but this will depend on your situation and the type of service. A financial assessment will work out what you need to pay towards the cost of your care or support (if anything).
See Financial support for adults for how charges for social care support services are calculated, information about Personal Budgets and Direct Payments, plus other support available with managing money.
Attendance Allowance is a benefit that you might be able to claim if you’re over State Pension age, need help with care and have an illness or disability.
There are agencies and companies who provide home maintenance, housework, gardening, mobile hairdressing and other services.
A good way to find reputable providers is to ask friends, family or neighbours. Or you can search the internet for services, via a Google search or using an online directory such as Dentons. Your local library membership gives you free computer and internet access, or you can ask a member of staff to help you with an internet search, at one of the Libraries and Information & Advice Services.
Age UK B&NES Helping You: At Home service helps with practical day-to-day tasks in and outside the home. There is an hourly charge for this service which is available in the Bath catchment area only.
Curo’s Independent Living Service can help with a variety of tasks to support you to live independently at home, offering flexible packages with different levels of support to suit all budgets and needs.
We Care Home Improvements provide help to improve the homes of older people and those with disabilities.
Community Catalysts work locally helping people to start and run small enterprises or businesses that offer care and support to older and disabled people in their homes or in the community. If you or someone you know needs care or support you can search Community Catalysts B&NES Small Good Stuff directory which will link you with local people who might help.
The Gardeners Guild is a national trade network for professionally qualified gardeners.
All the businesses on the Buy with Confidence scheme have been stringently vetted and are monitored by Trading Standards. In the unlikely event of something going wrong with a business based in B&NES, our Trading Standards Team can offer support to help put things right.
Citizens Advice offer useful consumer advice including how to find a trader and check you can trust them and what to do if you’re unhappy about poor service, as well as a consumer helpline.