Although everyone hopes to be well and active in retirement, with many of us now living well into our 80s, it is only to be expected that more of us are likely to need some form of care in the future.

Adult Social Care

The adult social care service is the responsibility of the local social services authority and the service provision includes care homes, day centres, equipment and adaptations, meals and home care. The gateway to these services is through community care and carer’s assessments, direct payments and personal budgets and procedures for adult protection.

The need for help and support on a daily basis may happen slowly, perhaps as a result of a disabling condition such as dementia or arthritis, or it can happen suddenly such as following an accident or a stroke.

When people need these services, they are often at crisis points in their lives and need access to good quality advice and guidance but, despite the efforts of many organisations, this still difficult to access, leaving most of those needing care not receiving the assistance they require.

Care for an Older Person is generally termed "Long Term care" However the type of care will be dependent on a particular person's needs. This maybe as simple as receiving "Meals on Wheels" and utilising aids and equipment, through to intense nursing care in a specialist home.

It is at times like these when you need to know what help is available to you and what your options are as getting the right information at the start is the best way of ensuring you secure the most suitable care for you or someone you care for.

Yet, finding information about the Care System can seem a daunting process as there are also a lot of misconceptions about care for the elderly. To counter this we have designed this website to be an information gateway to assist you in finding sources of information and contact details of local organisations that can give practical support and advice.

Care of the Older Person

There have been a lot of press reports about poor care, although there are cases of abuse and bad care these do not reflect the majority of providers who deliver a high standard of quality care. The accompanying pages on this web site offer advice on what to check for in organisations that provide care.

Care Staff

All people who work with older people have to have a Criminal Record Check and their names have to be checked against "The Protection of Vulnerable Adults List" (POVA). This List contains names of people who are excluded from working with vulnerable adults whether they have been prosecuted in court or not.

All Staff in Care Homes have to be trained to a certain standard and Managers of these establishments have to registered with CQC independently and should have achieved a recognised qualification for care managers.

Remember

People who are buying care (whether subsidised by the local authority or not) are customers and all have a choice

All organisations which provide care for older people have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) This regulatory body has far reaching powers which can fine providers and in certain circumstances close the organisation.

The Commission oversees a range of care services provided for older people and younger adults - including care homes, nursing homes and adult placements. Domiciliary care services also fall under regulation ensuring that agencies are accountable for quality of the services they provide.

All Care Providers have to meet minimum standards required under the Care Standards Act and are inspected regularly to check these standards are met. All care providers will have an inspection report which is available on request from CQC. This report is also available from the CQC web site. Local authority care homes and a number of establishments that were previously exempt from registration such as charter homes must also register with CQC.