Home care in the United Kingdom

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Home care, (also referred to as domiciliary care, social care, live-in care or in-home care), is supportive care provided in the home. Care may be provided by licensed healthcare professionals who provide medical care needs or by professional caregivers who provide daily care to help to ensure the activities of daily living (ADL's) are met. In home medical care is often and more accurately referred to as home health care or formal care. Often, the term home health care is used to distinguish it from non-medical care, custodial care, or private-duty care which is care that is provided by persons who are not nurses, doctors, or other licensed medical personnel.

Video Home care in the United Kingdom

Home care providers

Homecare is purchased by the service user directly from independent home care agencies or as part of the statutory responsibility of social services departments of local authorities who either provide care by their own employees or commission services from independent agencies. Care is usually provided once or twice a day with the aim of keeping frail or disabled people healthy and independent though can extend to full-time help by a live-in nurse or professional live-in carer.

Live-in care provides everyday help with washing, dressing, preparing meals and help with medication; it also provides housekeeping and companionship too. Many carers and nurses are specially trained in conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's, stroke, MS, palliative care and Motor Neurone Disease.

Live-in carers are always on hand to help elderly people continue to enjoy some of their favourite things in life without the rules or timetables of a residential care home. It offers a genuine sense of dignity and independence to the elderly.

The United Kingdom Home Care Association is the trade organisation for providers of care at home.

Maps Home care in the United Kingdom

Statutory Regulation

Home care agencies are regulated by statutory bodies in three of the four home nations. The regulator's function is to ensure that home care agencies work within the applicable legislation:

England

• Regulator: The Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• The Health and Social Care Act 2008
• The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010

Wales

• Regulator: The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW)
• The Care Standards Act 2000
• The Domiciliary Care Agencies (Wales) Regulations 2004

Scotland

• Regulator: The Care Commission
• The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001

Northern Ireland

Legislation covering the homecare sector in Northern Ireland is not yet fully operational (as at December 2007).

Regulator: The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)

• The Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation)(Northern Ireland) Order 2003
• Domiciliary Care Agency Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007
• Domiciliary Care Agencies National Minimum Standards (not published as at December 2007)

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See also

Nursing home care in the United Kingdom

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External links

• Better At Home Report from the Live-In Care Hub - a not-for-profit organisation committed to raising the quality of care in the UK
• No Place Like Home Report from the Live-In Care Hub - a not-for-profit organisation committed to raising the quality of care in the UK

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia