Companionship care in Durham

Most carers based within about 45 minutes of Durham advertise between £19 and £20 an hour for visits on PrimeCarers, with our fee included, and the typical rate is £19. Some charge less for visits that are company only, from about £15. Visits are at least an hour and most families choose two, so a visit is typically about £38. Each carer sets their own rate, and the figure to plan around is the one on their profile. What a companion carer costs goes into the detail.

You can see who is available and message them today. Most families are talking to two or three carers within a day or two, and regular visits often start within the week. 10 carers make visits within about 45 minutes of Durham, so there is usually somebody free on the afternoons you want. If you need someone in the next day or two, emergency care explains what to do.

Yes. Before a carer appears on PrimeCarers they have passed an enhanced DBS check, an identity check and a right-to-work check, and had an online interview with our team. Their DBS is then kept on the Update Service and monitored continuously for as long as they work. We check that a carer is caring; their skills and training are for you to check with them, and every profile shows their experience and reviews so you can. How we vet carers sets out each step.

Yes. You choose the carer and book them directly, so the person who comes is the one your relative met, rather than whoever is on an agency rota. Many families also get to know a second carer from the same search who can step in for holidays and sickness. The same carer every visit explains how families arrange that.

Visits are at least an hour, booked in half-hour steps, and for company most families choose two hours. The notice is in the contract: 48 hours to cancel a visit, and a visit cancelled inside that is payable unless the reason is an unplanned hospital stay, illness, or something you and the carer agree. PrimeCarers charges nothing itself to stop or change care. More on the minimum visit.

A companionship visit includes small jobs such as the washing-up and reminders to take medication. Washing, dressing, the toilet and continence are personal care. Most of the same carers do personal care too, so you can add it later without changing carer; private carers in Durham covers visits that include it. Giving medicines, rather than reminding, needs a carer trained to do it: can home carers give medication?

In the early stages it can help a great deal. Routine, conversation and a familiar face help somebody stay settled and confident at home. 10 of the 10 carers nearest Durham list dementia among the conditions they have experience of, which is worth checking with them. What the research says about isolation and dementia, and dementia care at home.

Usually, though the further from a town, the fewer carers are within a sensible drive, so the search shows the travel time from your door beside each carer. Most of the nearest carers have a car (7 of the 10 who advertise a rate). Mileage is only chargeable if you agree it in advance and in writing, usually 55p a mile. Finding a carer who drives helps if getting about is the main need.

Rarely for company on its own. Councils fund care that meets their eligibility criteria, and loneliness without other needs seldom does. A care needs assessment is still worth asking for, because a fall, a diagnosis or a family carer who is struggling can change the answer, and funding can then be paid as a direct payment you spend on a carer you choose. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested and, if your relative qualifies, can be spent on a companion. Paying for care explains each route.

No. PrimeCarers is an introductory service. The carers are self-employed and set their own rates; you choose the carer, and the contract is between you and them. We do the checks before a carer appears and keep their DBS monitored, set up the contract, handle the invoicing and payment, and insure the care while the carer works. Private carers and agency carers goes through the differences.