If you are looking for care for a loved one in their own home it can be difficult to decide which company to employ.  There are lots of companies!  But they are not all the same! Some can appear local, based in the heart of the community with a local phone number, yet be located miles away!  Many companies have professionally presented websites and collect reviews but this does not always mean their service is the same!  Franchises which are common home care can present a large number of high scoring reviews but these may have been collected from all their branches throughout the country and not reflect local performance.  Today social media output can appear impressive but this is often done by dedicated teams at head offices with minimal local content.  Some companies compete on low prices which suggests you will save money, but of course in care you generally get what you pay for.  Care companies that offer ultra low prices can only really do this by cutting care quality.  On the other hand some companies charge extremely high prices but what you get to justify this large premium is often unclear.

Independent Living has been based in Leyland and Chorley community for over 14 years.  We are in the heart of the local community having been based on Eaves Lane for over a decade (2016).  Previously we were based in Leyland and Euxton.  Our office staff originate from Leyland so we have strong links to that area too. We have a “GOOD” CQC rating, we are well known and proud to be recommended by many families we have helped.  It is hard to work out after 15 years how many people we have looked after but a rough estimate suggests well over 2,000!

When considering home care please be mindful other care companies may:

  • Employ overseas workers whose legal right to be in this country can be unclear, they may not have a good command of English, and may not culturally understand the client’s needs and values;
  • Price and charge very cheaply for a 30 minute or 1 hour visit but on delivering care may spend a short period of time at the client’s home, for example just 10-15 minutes, this is not value-for-money;
  • Alternatively charge expensively, c£50 per hour for care with no obvious extra benefit;
  • Ask you to sign contracts which strongly favour the Agency, for example 28 day’s termination notice, continue paying 100% when a loved one is in hospital;
  • Encourage you to take more care than you really need due to the pressure of having to achieve sales targets and report their results to head office;
  • Not deliver the tasks recorded in a care plan due to time pressures;
  • Not arrive at an appropriate or agreed time, for example 11-30am for a morning call to get a client out of bed;
  • Not be paying the legally required National Minimum Wage or treating carers fairly in relation to petrol costs;
  • Break contracts with public sector organisations by not staying at a client’s home a minimum required time but claiming the full cost from the public purse;
  • Present themselves as “local” in marketing materials but travel from more distant locations such as Preston, Blackpool, Blackburn, Bolton and Ormskirk making care calls vulnerable to traffic and weather problems;
  • Travel by public transport, walking or cycling causing calls to be less reliable

If you require care at home from a local, well-respected established company at a competitive price why not call Amanda or Lilian in office hours on 01257 696 050