A selection of the most commonly asked questions

What is home (domiciliary) care?

Home (domiciliary) is the care received in your own home. Home Care workers visit a client at home on an agreed basis to provide care and/or support tasks. Thus the care workers can provide personal care and general household duties. The level of care provided depends on the individual needs and agreed care package. It can involve continence care, help to get into and out bed, companionship and housekeeping or intensive specialist care.

What areas of the country do you cover?

Verity Healthcare offers home care service covers across England. We maintain a pool of highly qualified care workers who are able to travel at short notice to provide personal support and care or to other part of the country to provide live-in care services. All of our care workers are managed from individual local offices, and supported by managers who understand your specific needs and the issues affecting care in your area.

Is Company registered with the appropriate governing bodies and professional associations?

Yes, Verity Healthcare is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We are accredited by several professional bodies such as Dementia UK, Dementia Action Alliance, Skills for Care, National Autistic Society, United Kingdom Home Care Association and many others. These registrations and memberships ensure that we always provide our clients with the highest quality care by placing well trained and qualified care workers with our clients. All our accreditations cover all our branches. We are an umbrella organisation with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

How do ensure that high standards of care are provided?

To maintain high standard of care our care workers receive supervisions and appraisals at regular intervals. Our clients are encouraged to undertake regular performance reviews of care workers. All care workers have an individual, annual training plan to meet their performance needs and undertake annual health screening checks to ensure that they are physically fit to work.

How is your workforce recruited?

All care workers at Verity Healthcare are recruited through a robust process to offer services that are compliant with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It is our philosophy to assign highly qualified care workers to our clients at all times. We undertake rigorous compliance procedures including:

  • Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks.
  • Checks against the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults (SOVA) and Protection of

Children Act (POCA) registers.

  • Two appropriate references, one of which must be the last or current employer.
  • Full working history.
  • Submission of complete immunisation records.
  • Annual checks with relevant registration bodies to ensure fitness to practice.

What qualifications and experience do your staff have?

It is our expectation that all our care and support staff must have the necessary qualifications and experience required for the care service that they will provide. A large proportion of our Carers/Support Workers have studied to the A’ Level with some hold undergraduate qualifications.  In many cases our care workers come to us with NVQ Level 2, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent. In the cases where they have not already achieved these qualifications, we strongly encourage them to do so. Additional specialist training is also provided dependent on our clients’ needs.

What training do you provide to your care workers?

We have excellent trainers who have taught at the university and college specializing in health and social care. They support care workers to receive additional training that is updated annually and includes:

  • Manual Handling.
  • Infection Control.
  • Basic Life Support.
  • Continence Care
  • Fire Safety.
  • Health and Safety (including COSHH and RIDDOR).
  • Protection of Vulnerable Adults and Children.
  • Basic First Aid.
  • Safe Handling of Medication
  • Client Specific training

 

Additionally, we have a large proportion of our staff who have received specialist training in dementia, disability and mental health care.

Verity Healthcare works closely with other professionals and service user’s to ensure that joint training takes place where appropriate, enabling continuous learning and adaptation to changing circumstances.

What services do you provide?

We offer a wide range of support and care services assistance in your home, the community, hospital/hospice and overseas with all aspects of care, including personal care, domestic/ shopping tasks, companionship and sleep over care. We also provide specialist care such as dementia, disability and mental health/substance abuse. We aim to promote independence, privacy and dignity in your own home for as long as you wish.  For the range of services available, see our page ‘Our Services’ for more information.

How much does it cost?

The cost of service will depend on the level of care we have agreed with you and  varies geographically. Your local office will provide you with a price list. We will be able to work with you to arrange a multi-source funding and where necessary will signpost you to organisations who can provide advice on your particular circumstances.

How and when do I pay?

You will receive an invoice from Verity Healthcare Group approximately 14 days after your care service commences.  We will arrange for the invoice to be sent to the person who will be making the payment. This can be the person receiving the care or another nominated family member; however, regardless of who the invoice is issued to, liability for payment will ultimately remain with the person who has signed our terms and conditions.

 

We accept various methods of payment such as:

BACS payment

Once you receive your invoice you can make a BACS payment online, use a telephone banking service or by visiting your bank.

 

Standing Order

If you require regular hours of care each week a standing order is likely to be the easiest option for you. You are required to obtain the appropriate documentation to authorize this payment from your bank. Once submitted, this automatically issues payment on your nominated date, directly from your bank account to ours. If there is any over or under payment we will contact you directly.

 

Credit or debit card

Another quick and easy solution is to call our payment line, providing our friendly advisor with your account number, invoice details and your credit or debit card information. The card payment will go through instantly and we will send you a receipt in the post.

How will I know my carer is who they say they are?

All our carers, who have completed an enhanced CRB check, are always required to carry an identification badge . Often we will send you a photo of the carer we have assigned to you before they arrive so you can identify who they are. If you have any doubts about a person’s identity, you should not let them into your home.  Ask to see their badge.  You can also call our office where we can check who has been sent to you.

Do you provide incontinence aids or specialist equipment?

Any requests for specialist equipment must for via Social Services. However, our care workers have been trained to help you operate all assistive technology equipment.

What if my condition changes?

At anytime that we identify or are notified of a change in your condition, we will arrange a suitable time to meet with you and conduct a further assessment. If there are any changes, we will ensure that they are added to your care plan and all other stakeholders such as your GP, Nurse and Social Services will be informed immediately.

Are there any hidden extras prices?

No, all prices quoted by us are based on the information provided at the initial enquiry stage or during and after the initial assessment. All quotation provided will give a breakdown of the hourly and/or daily charges and all prices quoted will be subject to a care assessment which, depending on the outcome, may increase or decrease the charges.

Should your requirements include a large amount of travel, to and from hospital appointments, taking shopping or trips out into the community, any additional travel expenses such as mileage charges will be declared either at quotation stage or during the assessment. All charges will be clearly discussed before the service commences.

How long can I have care from you?

Verity Healthcare will provide services for as long as you need. The care services vary from short respite ‘sitting’ for a few hours at a time, to several visits a day on a long-term basis or live-in services to deliver personal care.

Will I get the same or regular carer?

We endeavour to assign the same or a regular carer whenever possible; naturally the carers do have days off and holiday entitlements.

Can I give my carer a gift?

No. All staff are not permitted to accept gifts or inheritance from any of our clients, carers or family members. They are also prohibited from being a beneficiary or act as an executor to wills, or any financial arrangements.  This includes the lending or borrowing of money, buying or selling between you and themselves, or undertake any paid privately arranged work.

I have a pet, would this be an issue?

Many of our Service Users do have pets and it is usually not an issue.  Your pet may react differently to strangers in your home, so we will carry out a risk assessment to ensure safety for all. In certain circumstances we may ask kindly that your pet is kept in another room until your care worker has carried out their duties.  This is a short-term approach until your pet becomes familiar with your care worker.  We will be happy to discuss any concerns you have with you.

Can my carer do what my nurse can?

No. Care workers are not permitted to carry out duties that need to be performed by a trained nurse.  If assistance to take medication is required, permission must be obtained, and a risk assessment/ health and safety check must be carried out.  Care workers are not permitted to make up medication boxes/ pill reminders/ MDS/ Nomads. Care workers can only assist with medication in its original container, supplied by the pharmacy.

My relative only needs a bit of help, an hour two times a week, is this too little?

No.  We can provide as much assistance as is needed.  An hour two times a week could be arranged.  You can contact our office where the staff will be happy to listen and advise you on your request.

If I go to stay with family or go out can I cancel my visit?

Yes. However we will be pleased if you could let us know advance that you will be going away if that is possible.  If we do not know you are away and your carer gets no response at your home, we will treat it as an emergency and will not leave until we know your whereabouts and safety.  If you pay privately and cancel last minute you may still be charged if your care worker is already on their way to you.

Are you monitored by CQC?

Yes.  We are registered and monitored by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) whose responsibility it is to inspect our service to ensure we meet required standards to operate as a Domiciliary Care Agency.

How can I provide you with feedback on the service?

We are always looking to enhance the services that we provide and so welcome all of your feedback or suggestions.

Should we receive a complaint we will ensure this is formally recorded in a written format, even if the issue has been resolved immediately. Please contact your local branch initially if you do have any concerns.

Skip to content