Welcome to our home care frequently asked questions page. Here, you will find the answers to commonly asked home care questions, including information about care and our private carers. If you don’t find the answer that you are looking for, please contact a member of our team or arrange a free home care assessment to discuss your requirements face-to-face and learn about the type of care you’re looking for.
We also have dedicated pages for live-in care FAQs and live-in carer FAQs which deal more specifically with round-the-clock home care.
How many hours can a home carer work?
For live-in care, it’s slightly different. Our carers are required to take a mandatory break time of 14 hours per week. When they take their breaks are agreed in advance with their manager and customer so that it doesn’t impact on the customer’s needs. A live-in carer’s breaks will either be covered by a visiting carer, a family member or not at all – it is always dependent on the customer’s requirements.
How much do private carers cost?
Private visiting care starts from £29.00 per hour per carer, with flexible costings for 30 or 45-minute visits. There is an additional travel fee of £4.25 per carer per visit. Find out more about visiting care costs here.
Live-in care is charged on a weekly basis, which starts at £1,779 per week for one person. Temporary respite care starts at £275 per day, which is ideal for care on a short-term basis from three days up to four weeks.
Helping Hands employ all of our own carers, also known as private carers. This means that we recruit, assess and train our carers, as well as managing their pay, holidays, absence and pension. With a care agency, you are expected to employ the carer yourself after the agency have introduced you and manage everything surrounding their employment. This is the main difference between a private, fully managed carer and a carer from an introductory care agency or service.
How much is Carer’s Allowance?
You can find how much Carer’s Allowance you can receive here. You may be eligible if you care for a loved one for at least 35 hours per week. If more than one person cares for the same person, only one of you can claim. You can receive the allowance if you care for more than one person i.e. a couple, but not any extra.
Can a family member be a paid carer?
Yes – a family member can be your carer and be paid via Carer’s Allowance. They will also receive National Insurance credits and reductions on other financial support such as Council Tax reduction, Universal Credit, Pension Credits and grants & bursaries.
What training will my home carer receive?
All of our assessments and training are conducted by our in-house specialists and we are the first and only care provider to receive a Centre of Excellence Award by Skills for Care for these programs.
Can I arrange my own home care?
Yes – this can be done in one of two ways. The first is arranging care via an introductory agency who will recommend carers to you. It is then your responsibility to pay your carer, arrange holiday and sick pay, find replacements if they’re unable to care for you and manage the entire process.
The second way you can arrange your own care is with a fully managed and regulated care company like Helping Hands. We employ our carers directly, taking all of the stress and hassle out of arranging pay, working agreements or finding a replacement carer if yours need to take sick leave.
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