Not at all. We only get involved as much as you want or allow. We will meet with you at the outset to discuss your requirements and then tailor our service to your needs.

Yes, of course we can. However you need us to help, we will be there for you. You control the extent to which we’re involved and we are used to helping out for short periods of convalescence. We can also provide longer term care or support if you need it. We can arrange a visit before you go into hospital to discuss your care needs. We can also arrange to be there when you come home. The service is entirely flexible.

There are a number of financing options available that don’t involve you having to sell your home. The philosophy of Care at Home Services is to provide the right level of tailored services to enable you to stay in your familiar surroundings rather than a formal care environment. You can start by meeting the costs out of normal income, pensions and allowances (depending on the level of help required). Click to visit the Funding Your Care page.

The Government and local authorities provide financial assistance, advice and other forms of support to elderly, sick and disabled people who need help with their personal care or nursing. Assistance may vary between different areas of the UK. Click to visit the Funding Your Care page.

There is generally a team of carers working within each area, and you may have one or more carers visiting you from within this team. If your care is spread out throughout the day or the week, more than one carer is likely to visit you. This tends to work better as there will be less disruption to your service when one is away on scheduled or emergency leave.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we actively encourage diversity in the workplace. We do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age and offences previously committed that do not create a risk to children and vulnerable adults. For successful applicants, we do request a criminal records disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), which will highlight previous criminal records, to assess the suitability of applicants for employment in positions of trust.

Our management team is highly skilled in the provision of care and we have been providing a high quality care service locally since 1993. We hold the qualifications necessary to support all carers in undertaking an intensive training programme and in achieving the standards required by the Care Quality Commission (see our excellent results by viewing the CQC Reports for Care at Home Services (South East) Ltd. There is ongoing training and development to ensure the continued competence and capability of each member of the care staff.

Yes, we are registered with the Care Quality Commission and are subject to regular inspections. We are also approved providers to Kent County Council, East Sussex County Council and Medway Council.

We are also a member of the Kent Community Care Association (KCCA).

Our care staff can carry out a variety of tasks to meet your needs and help you to maintain your independence. This includes personal care, washing, dressing, meals, help with medication, domestic duties including cleaning and laundry, and general support.

Our staff are not allowing to give injections or apply sterile dressings.  They are also not allowed to carry out heavy lifting, climb ladders or steps.

You can pay for your care by direct debit, cheque or debit card.  You will be invoiced either 2 weekly or 4 weekly in arrears, depending on your local office arrangements.

The minimum visit time you can book is 30 minutes. But you can have shorter check-up visits if you book one of our planned care packages.

The cost includes the care worker’s pay, travel time and urban mileage. It does not include mileage or parking costs for rural clients, shopping, appointments and escorting which will be charged extra. Rural travel costs will be determined by proximity to local office and staffing, and will be discussed at the initial assessment.

We ensure our staff are fully trained in accordance with the regulations and many have additional qualifications. We use regular customer feedback to help us ensure we are providing a quality service. This includes telephone checks, monitoring visits and customer surveys to ensure you are satisfied with the service. We also have a robust complaints procedure and all complaints are dealt with promptly. We also have staff regular staff supervisions.

When a new customer requests the service, our supervisor or manager will visit them to assess their care needs and prepare a detailed care plan which outlines what their requirements are. This care plan is kept in the Service User Book which stays in the home. Care staff record visit activities and other information for the next care visit. The Care Plan is also kept on file at the branch office.

Yes. We carry out shopping trips either for you or with you if you are able to travel. We work out the shopping list with you and discuss alternatives if items are not available. We keep a record of all financial transactions in the Service User Book.

Our care staff usually visit a number of people on a service round. If you need them to stay longer and you know this in advance, you can call the office who will try to rearrange their rounds. Alternatively, the care worker will call the office if the need to stay longer is urgent. If the need is not very urgent, we try to arrange a later visit at a time when they or another staff member are available.

We encourage customers to let us know as soon as possible if they are not happy with the carer and why, so that we can discuss matters with the carer or arrange for an alternative carer.

This depends on a number of things such as the type of hoist used, whether the service user can stand up, and the home environment. Local authority policy almost always requires two care staff present when a hoist is being used and the care provider has to ensure that the care staff and the clients are not put at risk under the health and safety regulations. For this reason, we carry out a full risk assessment of the moving and handling tasks.

Carers can prepare basic meals if there is sufficient allowed in the care plan to do so. Our live-in care service carers will cook meals as part of the service. Many of our customers prefer to have a pre-cooked meal service where the food is delivered fresh or frozen and kept in the freezer until required. The carer will then assist with cooking and serving the meal.

All our daily home care staff are employed by the company under PAYE and we take care of their pay, national insurance and tax.

Live-in care staff may either be on a self-employed basis or may be fully employed depending on the option agreed.

The obvious benefit of homecare is that you will continue to live in your own home and familiar surroundings rather than have to live in a residential care home which is much more expensive and restricts what you are able to do. At home you can keep all your possessions around you and even keep your pets. Your friends and family can visit you without restrictions. You can have homecare to suit your budget and timetable. There is also less risk of illnesses that can spread in a residential environment.

Simply contact the central number or the branch that manages the services in your area. Details are on the website. If we have daily homecare staff where you live, we will arrange a no-obligation assessment visit to discuss your care requirements with you and your family members and to discuss how the service works. Our live-in care service covers the whole of the South East.

Domus Live-In Care is committed to providing excellent quality of care at an affordable price. A typical cost per week for our services would be around £885.

We do not make any charge for the assessment. We will need to visit you to discuss your care needs so we can ensure we are providing the correct care for you. We will visit again when the care starts to introduce the live-in carer to you.

We cover all areas of Kent and Sussex. Unlike many companies, we do not ask our clients to pay for the carer’s travel costs as we work within a limited geographical area.

We aim to match a carer to you once we have met you. We check which carers are available, and will always aim to send a carer we think you will get on well with. We welcome feedback from you about how you are getting on, and if you don’t feel it is a good match, we will try a different carer next time.

We usually work on a two week rota, (usually two weeks with one carer, then two weeks with a second carer), on a rotational basis. We try to place carers regularly with our clients so they can get to know your individual needs, and build a good rapport with you. We know how important continuity is.

They will need their own bedroom and have use of the facilities. It is not necessary for them to have a separate bathroom. Many of our live-in carers do appreciate access to a television and Wi-Fi. We would ask that you provide adequate nutritious food for the live-in carer. They will also need a 2 hour break during the day, at a time convenient to you both, and should work on average 8-10 hours per day providing care to you.

Many live-in carers prefer to work on a self-employed basis, although we also work with employed staff. We interview each of our team, obtain references and an up-to-date DBS check, as well as find out about their care experience, training and personality. Self-employed carers pay their own tax and insurance, clients do not need to worry about this, and they will give their invoice directly to the client.

We aim to help as soon as we can, depending on carer availability. We can of course provide care if we have someone suitable and available, however we may need adequate time to find the right live-in carer for you.

Our office is open Monday to Friday 8:30am-5pm to discuss your care needs, and we will be happy to arrange an assessment to send you a brochure.

Having the right attitude! Hard work, knowledge and skill are all important but without the right attitude, it is very unlikely that someone will succeed as a Community Care Worker. Care work is tough – it is emotionally, physically and mentally demanding but for those who have the right attitude, it is the most incredibly rewarding job.

Our Community Care Workers visit clients in their own homes to provide the support they need to retain their independence.

The type of support provided is wide-ranging and includes:

• Helping them to get up and get dressed – ready for the day ahead
• Helping with showering, bathing and washing
• Helping with preparing meals
• Prompting, assisting or administering medication
• Helping with mobility which could include using equipment such as a hoist
• General domestic tasks such as laundry, cleaning and shopping
• Assisting with going to the toilet or helping clients to manage their continence

Many of our clients also like to share stories, have a laugh and a bit of banter with their carer. Again, this is where having the right attitude really comes into its own.

At Care at Home Services we offer:

• A three-day training programme and regular update events to prepare you for the role of a carer working in the community
• The opportunity and support to achieve your Care Certificate
• Very competitive rates of pay with enhancements for working at weekends or if you have an NVQ or Diploma qualification in health and social care
• A variety of flexible work patterns available including early mornings, evenings and weekends

We provide care to our clients 7 days a week, 365 days a year and our peak times for care calls are:

• Early in the morning – our first calls of the morning start from 7am
• Around lunch and tea time
• In the evening – our last calls at night end around 10pm.
• We have a dedicated and enthusiastic team of Care Coordinators in each of our branches and it is their job to match the client demand for care calls with the care staff available.

To do this we will discuss your availability with you and use this to book you to client calls which are within your availability and within your capabilities.

It involves a lot of teamwork and regular communication between the CCs and our Care staff in order to plan work rotas which keep you fully occupied and minimises the amount of travel between clients – this is where the flexible approach really plays a part.

In our experience, we can never have too many carers so it is in everyone’s best interest to get you on board as quickly as possible. Our friendly, dedicated Recruitment Team are there to guide you through the whole process.

Having said that, our carers will be working with vulnerable people, so there are a few steps which have to be completed before we are able to allow you out to work and they are:

• Receiving at least 2 references – one must be from your most recent employer
• Completing an Enhanced criminal records check/DBS
• Successfully completing your three-day training
• Successfully completing shadow shifts