Home care or home help? What we do and don't do
Lots of families search for home care when what they need is help at home. Here's the difference, so you can find the right help first time.
The short answer
Essex Home Support provides home help and companionship for older people. We help with everyday life: company, shopping, meals, housework, appointments and checking in. We don't provide personal care or nursing, so we aren't a home care agency and we aren't registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We don't need to be, because the help we give isn't personal care.
What home care usually means
When people say home care, they usually mean personal care at home: a carer who helps someone wash, bathe, dress, use the toilet or eat. In England, any business that provides personal care must be registered with the CQC. The law also counts prompting and supervising those tasks for someone who can't manage them on their own, for example a person with advanced dementia.
What home help means
Home help covers everything around that. It's the support that lets someone stay in their own home, keep their routines and feel less alone. It includes:
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company, conversation and getting out
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the weekly shop, prescriptions and errands
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making simple meals and keeping the kitchen stocked
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tidying, laundry, washing up and changing beds
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going along to GP and hospital appointments
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reminders to take medication (we never give it)
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short visits to check all is well
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light garden jobs and help with pets
For many families, this is exactly what's needed. Mum can still wash and dress herself, but the shopping has got hard, the house is slipping and she hasn't spoken to anyone in days.
How to tell which one your relative needs
Ask yourself one question: does your relative need hands-on help with their body, such as washing, dressing, the toilet or eating? If yes, they need a CQC-registered home care provider. You can search for one on the CQC website (cqc.org.uk) or ask your local council's adult social care team for an assessment.
If they manage those things themselves but need help with everything else, home help is the right fit, and that's what we do.
Some families use both. A registered agency might help in the morning, and we visit in the afternoon for company and the shopping.
Why we're clear about this
We'd rather tell you honestly at the start than take on work we shouldn't do. If, at our first visit, we think your relative needs personal care, we'll say so and point you in the right direction. If their needs change later, we'll tell you.
Where we help
We cover most of Essex, including Rayleigh, Southend, Leigh-on-Sea, Basildon, Chelmsford, Maldon, Benfleet and Canvey Island.
Need personal care?
Search the CQC website for a registered provider near you, or ask your local council's adult social care team for an assessment.
What we don't do
Washing, bathing or showering, dressing, help using the toilet, helping someone eat, giving or handling medication, and nursing or any medical task.
Not sure?
Call or message us and we'll talk it through honestly.
Questions families ask
Are you a home care agency?
No. We provide home help and companionship. We don't provide personal care, so we're not a home care agency and don't need to be registered with the CQC.
Can you help with washing and dressing?
No. That's personal care, and only a CQC-registered provider can offer it. We can tell you how to find one.
Can you give my dad his tablets?
No. We can remind him when it's time and check the dosette box, but he takes the medication himself.
My mum has dementia. Can you still help?
Often, yes. We can help with company, outings, shopping and the house. If she needs prompting and supervision to wash, dress or eat, that's personal care and needs a registered provider. We'll talk it through honestly at our first visit.
Can we use you alongside a care agency?
Yes. Lots of families do. The agency covers personal care and we cover company, errands and the house.
Ask us about help at home
Leave your details and we'll call you back the same working day. No obligation.
Phone: 07719 634 112
Email: essexhomesupport@gmail.com
Serving Essex.
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