Need help finding a good Sussex Care Provider

Need help finding a good Sussex Care Provider

February 23, 2016

Need help finding a good Sussex care provider?

Choosing the best care provider for your Mum or Dad in Brighton – or anywhere in Sussex – can be daunting and time-consuming.

So it’s wise to arm yourself with objective advice from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

You’ll find bags of useful advice on the CQC website. The CQC’s extensive experience is due to the fact that it’s responsible for registering all care homes and home care agencies. And it also carries out frequent checks on all social care providers in the South East – including care services in Worthing, Eastbourne, Chichester, Haywards Heath, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

Five key CQC questions

When the CQC inspects services it asks five key questions. Is this service safe? Is this service effective? Is this service caring? Is this service responsive to people’s needs? Is this service well-led? The CQC rates services on a four-point scale – ‘outstanding’, ‘good’, ‘requires improvement’ and ‘inadequate’. The ratings help you make an informed choice about the care provider you choose.

So what should you expect from a good home care agency? The staff who look after your Mum or Dad need to be skilled, kind and supportive. They should also be capable and confident in dealing with the particular needs of your loved one. Mum or Dad should feel the social care provider is helping them live the life they want to.

“When you’re choosing social care for Mum or Dad it’s wise to get the CQC’s help and advice so you can check that an agency is CQC registered,” says Ronnie Chatterton-Sim from Coastal Homecare in Worthing. “If you choose a home care provider, they should be an agency that can provide a wide range of different and flexible care services.”

Flexible range of services

The range of domiciliary care services can be categorised as personal care, home care and social care. Personal care covers things like getting your Mum up in the morning, washing and dressing her, making the bed, helping her visit the bathroom and assisting with medication.

Home care includes doing the laundry, ironing, cleaning the house, watering plants and taking out rubbish. Social care includes help with doctors’ and hospital appointments, leisure trips out, shopping trips and going to church.

But these are just a few examples. A good domiciliary services agency should be able to help out in many more ways. And be highly flexible.

“A good care agency knows what it’s like to have a family member who requires support with their daily living needs,” says Ronnie Chatterton-Sim.

“They know what you should expect from a care service and can be flexible. So if there’s something you need help with that’s not listed on their website or brochure, they’ll be able to tailor the care to suit an individual’s needs.”