Being cared for in your home
Our Care at Home service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can help with daily tasks such as:
- getting dressed
- maintaining personal hygiene
- taking medication
- getting out of and into bed
Services may be provided either:
- by our Care at Home assistants
- through one of our approved partners in the independent sector
Regardless of who provides your care, you can expect to receive the same standards of service.
Apply for an assessment of needs
Contact your local Health and Social Care Partnership office and ask for an assessment of needs.
Our eligibility criteria will inform:
- if you receive any services at all
- who provides the services
- the level and amount of services you receive
- when you will receive your services
If you aren’t eligible, we’ll tell you where you can get advice, support and services from a private or voluntary provider.
Eligibility
Anyone assessed as requiring help with daily living tasks may be eligible.
Intensive support (such as recovering from an accident or coming home from hospital) is provided through our reablement service.
Starting your Care at Home service
An assessor will visit you at home to agree your personal plan. This lists the days and times your care at home assistants will visit.
You will then have a visit from a senior care at home assistant who will discuss:
- your daily routine
- a risk assessment (if required)
- contact details
- your likes and dislikes
- health and wellbeing
Your personal plan holds information that your care at home assistants will add to at each visit.
Assistants will respect your values and beliefs and will only go into areas of your home that you agree to.
Will I have to pay?
We operate a charging policy for our services. A confidential financial assessment will be carried out. This includes a benefit check and determines if you will be charged for your service. We always take ability to pay into account.
Services that have no charge include:
- Reablement
- the first four weeks of care at home following discharge from hospital (for over 65s)
- personal care (for over 65s), including personal hygiene, continence management, food and diet, simple treatments, medication management
- personal assistance
The following services have a charge:
- shopping
- housework
Reviews and changes
Your care manager will review your care needs annually, while your care at home manager will review your care services every six months.
You can request a review at any time if you feel that:
- your circumstances have changed
- your care needs are not being met by your current services
Our standard of service to you
Our Care at Home service will:
- deliver the best possible service
- provide care in a way that meets your needs, in a professional manner by trained staff
- regularly review and monitor your service
- observe staff at work to make sure they are working to best practice standards
More information
The Scottish Government has produced the following guide for older people’s care in Scotland, titled: ‘Finding the care that is right for you’.