Domiciliary care (also known as home care) is a range of care services you can receive in your own home, to help you cope with disability or illness, and to become or remain independent for as long as possible.
Who could benefit from/use this service
The purpose of home care services is to meet the main care needs of adults aged 18 or over living in the borough of Bromley who:
- have difficulties related to older age, long-term illness or disability or mental health problems
- meet our eligibility criteria for people seeking help from social services. For more information please see the eligibility criteria for adults.
- are assessed as being in need of such assistance by a care manager from Bromley Council's Adults and Community Services Department
Home care services aim to:
- help you keep your independence and remain living at home
- prevent you having to go into a long-term care home or hospital
- reduce physical or emotional stress to you and your carer
Details
Depending on an assessment of need by a care manager, domiciliary (home) care can provide help in the home with:
- personal care tasks, such as washing, dressing and using the toilet
- daily living tasks such as getting up or preparing for bed
- preparing food or hot drinks
- shopping
- domestic cleaning to maintain safe and hygienic standards, as part of a package of personal care
A care package may also include additional services such as:
We have our own in-house home care service for people with complex needs. This service can provide 24-hour care by having available an immediate response team to meet short-term needs for night care; for example where:
- an informal carer is taken ill and unable to look after a person with long-term care needs, or
- there is a planned need for a night service such as a ‘late put-to bed’
If you are assessed to need personal care, your home care may be provided by personal carers from private agencies which work under contract to us.
If you are assessed to need help with shopping, your shopping service may be provided by Age Concern, working under contract to us.
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria for help from social services, we will give you information and advice about arranging care services from private domiciliary care agencies. Please ask for a copy of our " Self Help Guide - Arranging your own Help at Home".
Costs
Depending on your financial circumstances, you may have to pay part of the cost of your home care services. For further information on costs please see Domiciliary and Homecare Charges.
Under our direct payments scheme, people with long-term care needs can make their own arrangements to employ carers and home support workers, instead of social services arranging the care package. You can apply for this scheme after a care manager has made a full assessment of your needs.
You can also make your own private arrangements with a home care agency of your choice, if you do not wish to be assessed by social services. If you make a private arrangement for domestic or personal care, you will have to pay the fees, in accordance with the agency’s terms and conditions.
Next Steps & Conditions
To ask for an assessment of your need for home care, contact Bromley Social Services. (See "Contact" section below)
Or
Private Home Care Agencies:
Commission for Social Care Inspection website (www.csci.org.uk) Looking for a care home? Get free, independent reports on the quality of your local homes and care services to help you make an informed choice.
If you wish to make your own arrangements for home care, a list of agencies is included in the Bromley Adult Care Directory .You can get copies of the Directory from Social Services area offices, specialist teams or hospital based social work teams – see below for contact addresses.
We provide a domestic cleaning service only as part of a care package for people assessed as needing personal care. If you meet the eligibility criteria for help from social services but domestic help is the only service you need, we will refer you to Age Concern.
Age Concern can give you advice and arrange domestic cleaning through their 'First Check Point Domiciliary Care Service'.