Live-in Care FAQs

Live-In Care is the increasingly preferred option for those who need a level of support to enable them to remain living safely and independently in their own home. With our help, a fully trained and dedicated Live-In Carer will be placed to live with you in your home and be on hand to provide you with the bespoke support you need.

The proven benefits of Live-In Care include:

• The provision of bespoke care, delivered by a professional and dedicated carer, which meets all your care and support needs
• The reassurance of knowing someone is always on hand to respond quickly if you become unwell or fall
• The convenience of household tasks being completed, allowing you to focus on the things you enjoy

To read more about the benefits of Live-In Care, please click here.

Calida Care is fully regulated, monitored and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who are the independent regulator of Health & Social Care in England.

Our Head of Live-In Care has a proven track record in the delivery of a Live-In Care service rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, the very highest rating that can be received.

If you would like to read more about how CQC monitors & inspects home care agencies, please click here and you will be redirected to the CQC website.

Calida Care offers a managed care service which means we directly employ our carers and ensure that we supervise and monitor the care you receive. We resolve any concerns or complaints you may have, are responsible for all pre-employment checks and carer training and you can be assured of the quality of our service as we are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC are the independent regulator of Health & Social Care in England.

Other care providers such as introductory agencies are not regulated or monitored by the Care Quality Commission, there is no independent oversight on the standard of care you receive, they do not directly employ, supervise or monitor the carers. The client usually has the burden of paying the carer directly, negotiating their duties and supervising and monitoring them.

Live-In Care costs are comparative, if not cheaper than a good quality care home and is especially good value for couples.

Making decisions about care is not always easy which is why we are committed to providing you with transparent, clear, empathetic and knowledgeable information about the service we provide. We are here to help you, to listen and to answer any questions you may have so please don’t hesitate to call us on 01256 700 991.

Yes, we are happy to discuss arranging a trial period of care for you.

We aim to make arranging Live-In Care as easy as possible. In the first instance, please give our friendly team a call on 01256-700991. We will chat to you about your situation, answer any questions you may have and offer you clear information on the service we provide. If you then wish to proceed further, we will arrange to visit and in consultation with you, family members or representatives, we will undertake a thorough assessment of your needs. This allows us to formulate your Care Plan (see FAQ below: “What is a Care Plan”) and provides us with the information we need to start matching a carer to you. We will also discuss any preferred timeframes and costs with you.

A care plan is a personalised, holistic document which records your care and support needs as well as what is important to you, your likes and dislikes, preferences and how you wish the carer to support you. Working closely with you, we build your care plan based on the information you provide to us. We pride ourselves on the thoroughness and detail of our care plans and our carer’s are trained to follow the guidance they provide, ensuring you are receiving your care, your way.

We are very familiar with Clients and family members who for a variety of reasons, may suddenly and unexpectedly be thrown in the deep end of navigating social care and left urgently trying to find support. In urgent circumstances such as this, we will do all that we can to help you and to implement care on an emergency basis within 48 hours if not sooner. Don’t delay calling us on 01256-700991 if you need urgent care.

We pride ourselves on offering flexible care support options including companionship care, personal care, specialist care, end of life care and respite care. Please click here to read about our support options in more detail and don’t hesitate to call us to have a friendly, no obligation chat about the support we offer

Most definitely; we welcome the opportunity to provide you with short term or respite care. Please click here to read about our respite support option in more detail. We would also be happy to have a friendly chat with you to discuss any respite needs you may have.

Although the majority of our clients are predominately in the South East of England, our scope is nationwide so don’t hesitate to call us on 01256-700991 if you would like to find out more.

Yes, we do. Live-In Care is a very cost-effective option for couples who may both be in need of support. It is also a fantastic way to cover the care and support that a more able partner may be providing, allowing them to step back and pursue what they enjoy while the carer takes care of the day to day.

Not at all; our Carers are very pet friendly, and many have their own pets at home.

We specialise in providing care to those aged 65 and over however, we are happy to help any adult who requires personal care.

A carer’s role is varied and encompasses supporting you with washing, dressing, personal care and mobility as well as prompting or administering your medication. Our carers also help with light housekeeping, laundry, cooking, shopping, pets, general errands and supporting you with your appointments, social engagements & activities and entertaining. Please click here to read more about the services we offer and a description of the benefits.

Many of our Carers do drive and some have their own vehicles. We will discuss during your assessment if you require a carer who can drive and if a vehicle is available for them to use on your behalf. Please note that you will be responsible for arranging appropriate vehicle insurance if the carer will be driving your vehicle.

Yes, most definitely and we will discuss shopping options with you as part of your assessment and determine how best this can happen. A popular option is to set up an online shopping account with the goods then delivered and this is especially handy if you do not live close to shops, or if there is no vehicle available for the Carer to use for shopping purposes.

Yes, all our carers are trained to safely manage and administer medication. We will discuss your medication requirements with you and record this on your Care Plan so that the carer knows exactly what support you need.

Yes, the carer can drive a vehicle that you provide in relation to your care and support. It is however your responsibility to arrange the necessary vehicle insurance or to add them to your existing vehicle insurance.

No. Calida Care directly employs all its carers and we are responsible for paying them. You would never need to pay a Carer.

In exceptionally rare circumstances, we may stipulate that you will need to cover the carers travel costs for example, if you require care for a very short period of time where travel costs to the carer will be disproportionate to the duration of the assignment. This will always be discussed with you and the costs confirmed. You would not have to pay the carer directly. The refund for their travel will be invoiced to you and added to the carers pay.

We have a robust and selective recruitment process in place which ensures we only employ carers who share our values, who have the right character for the role and who are committed to providing excellent care. All our Carer’s are carefully interviewed, and we carry out extensive pre-employment checks including reference & identity checks and a criminal background check.

Our dedicated training programme is mapped to industry standards and actively promotes the human rights principles of dignity, respect, equality and autonomy. It equips the carers with the knowledge and skills they need to carry out tasks safely, effectively and in a manner promoting consent and client choice.

We have carers of all nationalities including British, Polish, South African, Australian, Hungarian, Slovakian, Portuguese, Greek and Spanish.

We encourage your participation in the decision-making process, and we listen very carefully when you are telling us about your needs, wishes and preferences. Coupled with our extensive experience in matching carers and clients, your input allows us to recommend the carer we feel will be the right match for you.

Yes, the carers are allowed a total of 14 hours off each week and this is important time that they need to rest, manage personal affairs and to pursue their own hobbies and interests. It is common practice for the carers to take 2 hours off each day however, this is not set in stone and some carers prefer to rather take longer breaks over three or four days.

As we specialise in Live-In Care, we are unable to cover carer break times, but we can recommend reputable agencies whom we know and trust that offer visiting care.

We do not specifically implement any type of rotation pattern and prefer to work flexibly with our Clients and Carers to agree on durations that work for everyone.

We carefully manage any planned holidays and will make appropriate arrangements for an alternative carer to cover your regular carers time off. We know how important it is for you to be familiar with your carers and always strive to send them same carer. If your carer falls ill, we will arrange a cover carer to support you.

We pride ourselves on the level of contact we have with all our Clients. Not only do we like to call you for catch up’s, we also enjoy visiting on a regular basis and perform spot checks and supervisions. We also send out annual surveys which provide us with valuable feedback on the service we provide. Remember too that we are always only a phone call away if you would like to discuss any aspect of our service.

We value the relationships we build with our Clients and we welcome all feedback as this allows us to constantly improve the service we offer you. If you would like to raise a complaint, we encourage you to contact us without delay and this is easily done by calling or emailing us. For the benefit of our Clients, our complaints procedure is also clearly explained in our Clients Service Guide.

We recognise and understand that simply put, there will be the odd occasion when a Carer is not your cup of tea. Should this be the case for any reason, we encourage you to let us know without delay so that we can offer you an alternative and we will continue to work closely with you until we get it right.

Yes, all our Clients are provided with an after-hours helpline phone number that will connect you directly to a member of our team.

It is not uncommon for a person’s needs to increase or change and we will work with you and as appropriate, with other healthcare professionals, to ensure your care continues to meet your needs and accommodates any changes.

Our aim is to provide you with the best possible care experience and should for any reason you feel that Live-In Care is not the right option for you, we would encourage you to talk to us without delay as the last thing we would want is for you to be unhappy.

No, you will not need to pay for care if you are in hospital unless at your specific request, your carer remains available to you during this time. Many of our clients and family members do prefer for the carer to remain available as they are fantastic at supporting with visits, bringing personal items and generally being on hand for you to help as needed.

Starting from £1050 per week, the cost of our Live-In Care is dependent on your individual needs and requirements and these may range from companionship care to specialist care. To read more about our flexible care support options, please click here. To receive an estimate, please call our team on 01256-700991 who will be happy to have an initial discussion with you regarding your needs. We know that clear costs are essential when planning your care, not only for now, but for the future and we guarantee clear pricing with no hidden costs.

We will agree a weekly rate with you before your care starts so there is no extra charge for weekends however, all official UK bank holidays are charged at double the daily rate. Your weekly rate and associated daily rate are both clearly recorded on your Terms & Conditions of Service.

We are sorry to hear this as a positive relationship with your care provider is essential. At Calida Care, we work hard to ensure our Clients experience of the service is positive from the first point of contact and we certainly don’t rest on our laurels once the care has started. Please give our experienced team a call on 01256-700991. We will chat to you about your situation, answer any questions you may have and offer you clear information on the service we provide. If you then wish to proceed further, we will arrange to visit and in consultation with you, family members or representatives, we will undertake a thorough assessment of your needs. This allows us to formulate your Care Plan and provides us with the information we need to start matching a carer to you. We will also confirm our costs, discuss timeframes and support with the co-ordination of a smooth handover from your existing care provider.

Absolutely! We would be delighted to support you on your return home and are also able to offer you support in co-ordinating the transition. Please call us on 01256-700991 so that we can make a start on getting you back home.