Home Care — Frequently Asked Questions

Home care — sometimes called domiciliary care — means a trained carer comes to the person's home to provide support, rather than the person moving into a residential care setting. The person stays where they live, in their own home, with their own belongings and routines, and a carer visits to help with whatever they need.

For most people, the idea of staying at home is strongly preferable to moving into a care home. Home care makes that possible for much longer than people often realise. A lot of families contact us thinking they need a care home, and it turns out that what they actually need is a well-matched carer visiting a few times a day.

Domiciliary care is the formal term for home care. It refers to any care or support that is delivered in someone's own home, as opposed to in a residential or nursing home. The two terms mean the same thing — some people use one, some use the other.

We provide domiciliary care across Kent and London SE7, covering everything from short daily visits to full live-in support.

It depends entirely on what the person needs. At the lighter end, a carer might visit once a day to help with getting up, washed and dressed, and to make sure medication is taken. At the more intensive end, a carer might visit four times a day, or stay overnight, or live in the home full time.

The most common tasks include help with personal care (washing, dressing, grooming), medication support, meal preparation, light housekeeping, companionship and accompanying people to appointments. But we work around what matters to each specific person — not a standard package.

Live-in care means a carer lives in the person's home and is available to provide support throughout the day and night. It is the highest level of home care — often considered as an alternative to a care home for people who need a lot of support but strongly want to stay in their own home.

Live-in care tends to work well for people with dementia, Parkinson's, complex health needs or those who are not safe to be alone at night. We provide live-in care across Northfleet, Gravesend, Maidstone, Rochester and Greenwich SE7.

The cost of home care varies depending on how many visits are needed, how long each visit is, and the level of care required. In Kent, hourly rates for domiciliary care typically range from around £18 to £28 per hour depending on the provider and the specific needs involved. London rates are generally slightly higher.

We provide clear written quotes before anything starts — no vague estimates, no hidden extras. Call us on 014 7461 2113 and we'll give you a straightforward figure based on your specific situation.

It depends on the level of support needed. For someone who only needs a few hours of care a day, home care is significantly less expensive than a residential care home. For someone who needs round-the-clock support, live-in care can be comparable in cost to a care home — and many families find it preferable because the person stays in their own environment.

The right answer depends on each person's situation. We're happy to have an honest conversation about what makes financial and practical sense — call us and we'll give you a straight picture.

No. We give you a clear written quote before anything starts, and we stick to it. If anything changes — for example if the level of care needed increases — we'll discuss that with you before adjusting. We don't believe in surprising families with unexpected costs.

The first step is a phone call. We'll have an initial conversation about what you're looking for, the person who needs care, and the general situation. If we think we can help, we'll arrange a home visit.

At the home visit, one of our senior team comes to the person's home, meets them and any family involved, and has a proper conversation — not a form-filling exercise. We want to understand the person's routine, what matters to them, what they can manage independently and what they need support with.

From that we build a care plan, match the client with the right carer, and start care. The whole process from first call to care starting typically takes a few days for planned care, though we can often move faster for urgent situations.

For planned care we typically need a few days — enough time to do the home visit, write the care plan and match the right carer. For urgent situations, such as someone being discharged from hospital who needs care in place immediately, we can often move faster. Call us directly and we'll tell you honestly what's possible and how quickly we can start.

We review care plans regularly — and we update them whenever something changes with the client's health or circumstances. Needs change, especially with older adults, and the care should keep pace with that. If you notice something has changed and want to discuss it, just call us. We don't wait for scheduled reviews if something needs addressing sooner.

Yes. Every carer we place is DBS checked before they begin working with clients. We also take up references and carry out a thorough induction process. But beyond the formal checks, we're selective about who we bring onto the team — we look for people who are genuinely suited to care work, not just people who are available.

We aim for consistency wherever possible and we take it seriously. A familiar carer makes a real difference — particularly for older adults and those with dementia, who can find changes unsettling. We put effort into matching clients with carers we think will work well together, and then we try to keep that consistency going.

When a different carer is needed — for holidays, illness or other reasons — we'll always let the family know in advance. We don't just send whoever's available and hope nobody notices.

Talk to us. We'd always rather have that conversation early than let something that isn't working carry on. If the match isn't right, we'll find someone better. Most of the time we get it right first time, but when we don't, we fix it — and we don't make families feel awkward for raising it.

You may be eligible for funded support through Kent County Council. The process starts with requesting a care needs assessment through Kent Adult Social Care. If the assessment determines that the person has eligible needs, the council may contribute toward the cost of care — either by arranging care directly or through direct payments.

Direct payments are a sum of money allocated by the council that the person can use to purchase care from a provider of their choice — including us. We're experienced in working with direct payment clients across Northfleet, Gravesend, Maidstone and Rochester. If you're unsure whether you qualify, it's worth requesting an assessment — it's free and there's no obligation.

Yes. The London Borough of Greenwich provides care needs assessments through Greenwich Adult Social Care. If the assessment identifies eligible needs, the council may allocate a personal budget which can be used to commission care from us. We work with both self-funding clients and those receiving council-funded support across Greenwich, Charlton and Woolwich.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) is a package of ongoing health care arranged and funded by the NHS for adults outside of hospital who have complex, ongoing health needs. It is different from social care funding — if someone qualifies, the NHS covers the full cost of their care rather than the council or the individual paying.

CHC is assessed by a multidisciplinary team and eligibility is based on the nature and complexity of health needs rather than the specific diagnosis. We support clients who receive NHS Continuing Healthcare funding across Kent and London SE7.

Yes. We regularly arrange care at short notice for people being discharged from hospital who need support in place before they return home. We're familiar with the discharge pathways from Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich.

If someone is being sent home and needs care arranging quickly, call us directly on 014 7461 2113 and we'll tell you what we can put in place and how fast.

We provide home care across Kent and South East London from two bases. Our Kent office is in Northfleet DA11, and we cover Northfleet, Gravesend, Gravesham, Swanscombe, Dartford, Maidstone and Rochester and the Medway towns.

Our London office is on Bugsby's Way SE7, and we cover Greenwich, Charlton, Woolwich, Eltham, Kidbrooke and surrounding SE postcodes.

If you're not sure whether we cover your specific area, call us and we'll tell you straight away.

Yes — Northfleet is where our main office is based (Bridge Close, DA11). We cover all parts of Northfleet and Gravesend including DA11 and DA12 postcodes. See our dedicated pages for home care Northfleet and home care Gravesend.

Yes. We provide home care across Maidstone ME14, ME15 and surrounding areas, and across Rochester ME1, ME2 and the Medway towns including Strood, Chatham and Gillingham. See our home care Maidstone and home care Rochester pages for more detail.

The simplest first step is a phone call to us on 014 7461 2113. We'll have a conversation about the situation — who needs care, what the main challenges are, and what kind of support would help. There's no commitment involved and no pressure — just an honest conversation.

Alternatively you can fill in our new client form and we'll call you back, usually the same day.

You don't need to have everything worked out before you call — that's what the conversation is for. It helps to have a rough idea of what the main challenges are (getting up in the morning, medication, mobility etc.) and where the person lives, but even if things are still unclear we can help you think through the options.

Yes. Several of our carers have specific dementia training and experience working with people at various stages. We understand that dementia care requires particular patience, consistency and an ability to adapt to how the person is on any given day.

Carer consistency matters especially for dementia clients — familiar faces and familiar routines help. We also liaise with local memory services and health professionals where involved in the person's care.

Yes. We support clients with a range of conditions including stroke recovery, Parkinson's disease, MS and other long-term neurological conditions. Our carers receive relevant training, and we work alongside NHS rehabilitation teams where involved.

For stroke recovery in particular we can provide reablement-focused care — supporting the person to rebuild confidence and independence rather than doing everything for them.

Yes. Respite care — where we provide cover so that a family carer can take a proper break — is something we arrange regularly. It can be planned in advance (for example covering a holiday) or arranged at shorter notice when a family carer needs time to recover. We recognise that family carers often underestimate how much support they need too.