How to Find the Best Carers

There are plenty of ways to find the best carers, but how do you know which one is right for you. Below is our guide to where you can source home care.

How to Check a Private Carer: Your Step-by-Step Guide

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Take Care Into Your Own Hands

To start off. We know care can be expensive. Whether you need a lot of care, or just a little. It is natural to want to deliver as much care as you can yourself, before jumping to the conclusion of looking to other people to take care of your loved ones. This is because you may feel as if it will benefit your loved one as they know you. And trust you.

You may also see the benefit of it not costing any money. But it does cost time and effort, and sometimes it can take a toll. That is why there are other options such as agencies, independent Carers and platforms like PrimeCarers

If you are looking for resources to deliver care yourself to save money or to test the waters. We have plenty of resources in our blogs section on our page. We also have an article aimed directly at delivering care for yourself.

Agency Carers

Agencies take on the burden of providing you with trained and qualified carers. They insure them, they train them and they try to make sure that the shift is always covered at the estimated call times.

• They handle it all for you: No matter how complex or long-term your care needs are, you can trust them to know what you need and to provide that for you.
• If anything goes wrong, they will sort it out: If a carer is unable to make it, or is sick, they will find you a replacement for some time that day.
• Carers are trained, vetted and insured: Your agency carer will be trained, safe and knowledgeable.

However, there are some drawbacks:

• You have little choice over the carer. You can’t pick one that will get on with your loved one, you often just get what you are given.

• There is little control over the care provided: You often have to work through the different agencies, to make sure the care lives up to your expectations.
• Your carer will often change: You have no guarantee that the carer who visits today will be the one that visits tomorrow. This prevents the carer from building a relationship with their patient and be able to monitor any changes in behaviours’ or medical conditions. 
• Agency carers are often in a rush: They focus on delivering care as quickly as possible, in order to move onto the next person. They can’t focus on spending quality time with your loved one.

If an agency is what you are looking for, then you can simply google search for agencies in your area. Running a search will help you easily find agencies such as https://acaciahomecare.co.uk/

Independent Carers

Independent carers are a great alternative to agency carers, even though they are often the same person: 

• You get to choose your carer, based on which ones get on best with your loved one. As well as the skills they have.
• You have a direct relationship with them so you can change the care being provided in real-time
• It is more likely they are going to stick around and build a relationship with the family. You are their direct client, so it is in their best interest to do so 
• The carer gets a greater share of the hourly rate you pay. Agencies take a huge percentage, to cover their overheads

However, dealing with independent carers can be difficult, in fact, it can be a job in itself: 

• Finding the right carer can take time and you may have to give lots of personal information during your search.
• Interviewing and selecting them requires you to know what to interview for
• Communicating with them and arranging visits is a job in itself.
• You take on the burden of employing, contracting, safeguarding and paying the carer
• Arrange cover when they are unavailable can be a nightmare.
• You have no way of knowing if they are good at their job, or are safe people to let into your home.
• Carers may not be insured and it might be difficult to vet them.

Most of these issues can be mitigated by using an introductory service like PrimeCarers.

Find The Best Carers Through Introductory Services and Platforms

Our platform provides you with access to all the benefits that independent carers bring, without most of the downsides. There are ways we make it easy to work with them. We:

• Find high-quality carers in your local area. We interview and background check them, so you know that they are safe and great at what they do.
• Our search tools help you choose a carer. You can also arrange visits and manage care plans online and find carers to cover open visits (for holidays etc).
• Our platform handles all the contracting and payment online, which makes your life easier. 
• We support you with advice and mediation if needed. We also offer our carers resources to increase their training and knowledge.
• All appointments and visit logs are available in your online calendar. We also notify you of changes through text and emails, to help you manage.
• Monitor visits on a Health & Safety basis so know our carers are managing their relationships in a professional manner.
• Insure them under our insurance policy. 

This makes it easier for you to get back to enjoying quality time with your loved one. Rather than worrying about their care provision.

So, those are all of your options, from start to finish. If you need any more advice please get in touch with [email protected] and we will do our best to help.