It can be very daunting when you – or a relative or friend – needs some extra help with daily living. You need to know that you are putting care into the hands of people who are well trained and supported. You need reassurance that the quality of care will be high – always – including behind closed doors when no one else is looking.
We thought it would be helpful to provide you with a quick guide to the quality standards that home care services are bound by and the governing bodies such as CQC who regulate them.
National professional standards of home care
Organisations which visit people in their houses or flats to provide support are all governed by the Professional Standards for Homecare Services. These were developed by a workgroup under the umbrella of the Department of Health Homecare Strategy Board.
If you would like a copy of that, you can download it here
www.rpharms.com/resources/professional-standards/professional-standards-for-homecare-services
How is care quality controlled in the UK?
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is a specialist sector of the Department of Health in the UK. It focuses on ways to improve the quality of adult social and health care, including issuing a quality standard for home care companies to adhere to.
Get details by following this link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs123
What is the Care Quality Commission?
On top of all this, domiciliary care agencies are assessed by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC is an independent body that regulates the quality of health and social care given to people of all ages. It publishes reports and can flag up both good practice and areas for concern that service users need to know about.
You can read about it here: www.cqc.org.uk/
The principles of Person Centred Care
Some organisations that offer health and social care believe in the value of person-centred care. This is more of a good practice and proven principle, rather than something that is regulated. It means care providers – including those who visit people in their homes – should never see their client as 'a patient', or indeed just as 'the client'.
Care professionals are working for (and with) a PERSON – an individual who has the right to have their own opinions, preferences and dignity maintained at all times. Person-centred care also means working as a team, consulting and communicating with family, close friends, medical professionals, and other relevant support providers.
Nothing left to chance
The lovely people who use The Great Care Company's services will see the friendly, warm and approachable staff. But behind the scenes, we work hard to meet and often exceed complex standards and controls.