What services are provided?
Care at home is usually provided after an unexpected period of illness or an unexpected event such as a fall. The purpose of the service is to support individuals to remain as independent as possible while getting essential support with those things that they need help with. The range of care at home services include;
- Personal Hygiene Washing
- Bathing
- Assistance with Eating
- Meal Preparation as Defined in Free Personal Care Legislation
- Using the Toilet
- Basic Continence Care
- Dressing
- Help with Ted Stockings following surgery
- Oral Hygiene as Directed by the District Nurse
- Topical Application of Ointments
- Nail Cutting
- Peg Feeding – nutrition applied through an gastro intestine tube
- Specialised Diet and Fluid Intake Monitoring
- Catheter Care
- Continence Care
- Administration of Medication
- Moving and Handling
- Use of Nebuliser and Oxygen Therapy
- Stoma Care
- Rehabilitation / Reablement – supporting people, through physiotherapy or occupational therapy, to return to the level of functioning they had prior to an accident or surgery.
The above list is not exhaustive and personal care services such as those listed are free when delivered to people over the age of 65 years
In addition to personal care services domestic care can be provided in exceptional circumstances. Domestic care is not free and the service user will pay the agreed hourly rate to the provider. Domestic tasks would include:
- Cleaning
- Basic Housework
- Shopping
- Laundry and Ironing
- Support to Attend Appointments
- Support with Budgeting
How are referrals for Care at Home Services made?
Referrals for care at home services are usually made by health care professionals (GP, District Nurse, ward staff, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist), carers, carers centres or are self referrals.
Referrals should be made to the local social work department (please see contact details below). All referrals are considered and the referrer will be notified that their request has been received and acted upon.
How do we assess what care needs to be provided?
An assessment of need will be carried out by a health or social work care manager appointed to the service user and this will fully include the person requiring support. Assessments usually include health and social care staff and the outcome of the assessment will be shared with the person requiring support and their representative. The assessment will outline support for the person to remain at home as safely and independently as possible.
Assessments include a financial assessment and benefits checks to ensure that service users are receiving the full range of benefits that they are entitled to.
Prioritisation of Need
Resources are allocated using a Prioritisation of Need Framework. In common with many other Local Authorities across Scotland, Argyll and Bute Council have put in place a prioritisation framework to guide the allocation of resources to those in the greatest need. The need for such a framework is a direct response to the increasing gap between assessed need and available resources.
The prioritisation of all referrals made to the Social Work Service will be based primarily on the information received at the time of referral.
Contacts
If you wish to make a referral or find out more about the provision of care at home services you can contact us by:
Calling us on 01546 605517
Visiting your local customer service point.
Charges for the Service
Argyll and Bute Council operate a Charging Policy and the financial assessment will determine the cost of home care services for people under 65 years. Personal care is free for people aged over 65yrs but domestic tasks are chargeable for these service users.
Who provides the services?
The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 gives people more choice and control over how their support services are designed and making sure they receive support that meets their needs. It allows people to choose how their support is provided to them by giving them as much ongoing choice and control as they want over the money spent on their support. See our Care Resource Directory of providers available.
If you would like us to arrange your service (option 3) these will be provided either by the council’s home care service or by an authorised provider who is registered and regulated by the Care Inspectorate. All services commissioned by the council from private and voluntary providers are subject to stringent contract monitoring.
Care Planning and review of service
Following an assessment of need a care plan that outlines the support required by the person and the desired outcomes from providing this support will be prepared. The Care Plan will be the basis for the delivery of the service and will be held in the service user’s home. The care provider will record at each service visit the time and purpose of the visit and any other relevant information that is necessary to ensure safe and consistent care for the service user.
Care arrangements will be regularly reviewed by the care manager, the care provider and the service user and/or their representative. Care service arrangements will be amended if the review of service indicates that this is necessary.