Information for Local Authorities and Social Workers

HomeCareDirect

• is an integrated care at home support service which combines new technology to keep people safe at home, with the Direct Payments method of funding.
• provides easy access to almost everyone to Direct Payments.
• acts as the legal employer of personal carers selected by your client.
• Organises training of personal carers to meet the needs of individual clients.

Our Authority to Provide a Service

The authority for HomeCareDirect to provide a service in your area comes from our registration with the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Our Head Office is based in Derbyshire and our registration is with the CSCI at :-

Commission for Social Care Inspection

Cardinal Square
Nottingham Road
Derby
DE1 3QT

01332 851800

Our Contract to Provide a Service

HomeCareDirect does not require a contract with the Local Authority to provide a service in any geographic area. Our contract is with the individual client who chooses HomeCareDirect to provide the support for their care in their own home.

If a client chooses HomeCareDirect then that is their choice. Should a Social Worker wish to discuss how HomeCareDirect would seek to meet the needs of individual clients, then please ring HomeCareDirect on 0845 061 9000 and ask to speak to the 'Care Support Office Manager', for further information. We will be happy to discuss how the needs of individual clients can be met, including linking in with any local training or support service valued by the Social Worker.

Some Specific Uses

With HomeCareDirect acting as the employer, the service can be used:

• by clients, with relative ease, to take advantage of the freedom of 'Direct Payments'.
• to assist Local Authorities meet their Direct Payments targets.
• in rural communities, where difficulties have been experienced, to help find local personal carers.
• to help reach ethnic communities where there is often already a strong tradition of providing care from within the family and community.
• to improve the financial stability for a family, where a member may have given up employment in order to provide care at home for a relative or friend.
• for clients who have expressed some dissatisfaction with existing services, where HomeCareDirect could support the client to greater independence.
• to support specific care situations where the client may be at particular risk should a personal carer fail to arrive.

It's Easy to Get Started

HomeCareDirect offers a months trial to clients starting service in a new area.

Should clients in a new area not be delighted with the freedom and support received with HomeCareDirect, then they may cancel any contract within the first month of service, and there will be no charge.

Call HomeCareDirect on 0845 061 900 and leave the rest to us.

The Service

With HomeCareDirect acting as the Employer

For a one-off set-up fee of £200, plus an hourly charge of £1.95, the client will receive:

1) Two visits to the home of the client prior to care commencement , by a HomeCareDirect Qualified case manager to:

• Provide advice about Direct Payments and Local Authority Direct Payment procedures.

• Explain the HomeCareDirect system of client and family involvement in their care at home.

• Undertake a personal carer risk assessment.
• Produce a written Care Plan placed in the home of the client.
• Assist the client to identify personal carers to provide their care, either from within their local community or family, or provide a search of the HomeCareDirect local personal carer register, or assist the client to advertise.
• Identify any training needs of individual personal cares and organise their training on behalf of the client.
• Explain the HomeCareDirect personal carer employment procedures including the provision of Employers and Public Liability Insurance.
• Place a HomeCareDirect Support Box in the home of the client, and train the personal carer in the use of their I.D. cards in the HomeCareDirect Support Box.
• Provide a password protected access for the client and/or 'responsible person', to the client visit organising and monitoring rota, on the client care plan on the internet.
• Commence the Induction training for personal carers.
• Instruct the personal carers in the care to be provided for the client.

2) Within one month of care commencement , a further visit by the HCD case manager to:

• Undertake and document the first care review to ensure client satisfaction.
• Undertake the first personal carer supervision.

3) Ongoing visits by the HCD case manager to the client in their own home as follows:

Four formal 'personal carer supervisions' per year by:

• Two HomeCareDirect case manager visits to observe and supervise personal carers providing care for the client.
• Two client/responsible person formal and documented 'personal carer supervision' contacts, counter-signed by the HCD case manager per year, to ensure client care service satisfaction.
• An annual formal care review visit to the client in their home by the qualified HCD case manager.

4) The ongoing monitoring and reporting by the HomeCareDirect Support Box in the clients home, which includes the following:

• Electronic care visit recording, and checking of personal carer training to meet the needs of the client at every visit.
• Automatic alert if the personal carer is late or fails to arrive.
• Optional automatic low temperature alert.
• Client emergency Alarm Button on the HCD Support Box.

(A client pendant alarm is under development for use with the HCD Support Box. Please ask for current availability)

5) HomeCareDirect Head Office Support includes:

a) 24 Hour Care Support Office to:

• Take client calls
• Monitor missed visit alerts.
• Take client emergency alarm calls from the HCD Support Box.
• Provide an emergency search for replacement back-up carer (Non guaranteed - ultimate responsibility remains with the client and/or the responsible person).
• Provide electronic quarterly care visit monitoring reports for social workers and Local Authority under statutory requirements. i.e. no time sheets

b) Personnel Department: Provision of personal carer interview forms to clients.

• Providing personal carer application forms to clients.
• Obtaining and checking personal carer references.
• Undertaking CRB checks on personal carers. (The actual CRB check itself charged to clients)
• Providing a contract of employment to personal carers selected by the client.

c) Training Department: Distance learning training of personal carers induction.

• Organising any necessary personal carer training needs specific to the client. ( Any actual training costs charged to the client )
• Organising any annual training needs updates to meet statutory and client requirements. (Any actual training costs charged to the client )

d) Payroll Department:

• PAYE service to deduct Tax and NI.
• Monthly payment of personal carers on the 8 th of each month for the previous calendar month.
• Automatic electronic pay transfer to personal carers account.
• Payment of monthly tax and NI to the Inland Revenue.

Please Note:

HomeCareDirect provides the above services in the charges indicated above. Should the client decide to choose additional services from HomeCareDirect then these are detailed on the document headed ' Care at Home Support Charges '

The HomeCareDirect qualified case managers are themselves trained to train personal carers in 'Personal Care' and 'Moving and Handling', and following a request from the client, this training can be provided in the home of the client for personal carers selected by the client. (There will be a charge for this additional service. Details on the document 'Care at Home Support Charges').