Domiciliary care is the sector's own term for care delivered in someone's own home. If you have just come across the phrase in a council letter or a hospital discharge pack, it simply means a carer visits the house to help, rather than the person moving into a care home. This page explains what it involves, what it costs and how it compares with the alternatives.
Domiciliary care, also called home care or care at home, is planned support delivered by carers who visit the house at agreed times. Visits usually run from half an hour upwards and can be once a day or four times a day, seven days a week if needed.
It is regulated. Any organisation providing personal care in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and is inspected and rated. Reedsfield Care is registered and rated Good.
Help getting up, washing, dressing and going to bed
Medication prompting and recording
Meal preparation and help with eating and drinking
Shopping, laundry and light housework
Company, conversation and trips out
Support with mobility and reducing the risk of falls
Domiciliary care compared with live-in and residential care
Domiciliary care is visits. A carer comes for a set period and then leaves. It suits someone who is managing largely well but needs help at particular points in the day, and it is the least expensive of the three options when the hours are modest.
Live-in care is one carer living in the house full time, there through the day and sleeping in overnight. It suits someone who is no longer safe alone but wants to stay at home. Residential care means moving into a care home, with staff on site around the clock and meals and activities provided.
Domiciliary care: visits at agreed times, from £22 an hour
Live-in care: one carer in the home full time, from £1,150 a week
Residential care: the person moves into a care home
What domiciliary care costs
Home care is charged by the hour. Reedsfield visiting care starts at £22 an hour, with a higher rate for evenings, weekends and bank holidays so carers are paid properly. Four half hour calls a day costs considerably less than a care home place, but the sums move once you get past roughly six or seven hours a day, and that is usually the point at which families start looking at live-in care.
There is no setup fee, no agency fee and no minimum contract. We put the weekly total in writing before anything begins.
Who pays for it
Some people pay privately, some receive help from the local authority after a means tested financial assessment, and some receive NHS Continuing Healthcare where needs are primarily health related. Attendance Allowance is not means tested and is worth applying for regardless of savings.
A council care needs assessment is free and you are entitled to one. Current rates and thresholds are published on gov.uk.
How to arrange domiciliary care
Call a registered provider and describe what is happening. A good one will visit at home, free of charge, look at the practical detail, meet the person and write a care plan you agree to before anything starts. Ask about the CQC rating, whether carers are employed rather than booked through an agency, whether you will see the same faces, and what the notice period is.
Reedsfield Care covers Egham, Virginia Water, Staines, Ashford, Sunbury, Shepperton and Feltham for visiting care, and a wider area for live-in care.
Frequently asked questions
Is domiciliary care the same as home care?
Yes. Domiciliary care, home care and care at home all describe the same thing: carers visiting someone in their own home.
How short can a visit be?
Thirty minutes is the usual minimum. Anything shorter tends to be rushed and does not give the carer time to do the job properly.
Is domiciliary care regulated?
Yes. Providers of personal care in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and are inspected and rated. Reedsfield Care is rated Good.
When is live-in care better value than visits?
Roughly once you need more than six or seven hours of support a day, or once someone is no longer safe alone overnight. At that point one live-in carer is usually the more sensible option.
Can I change my mind?
Yes. Notice with us is one week, and you can increase or reduce the hours as needs change.
