Guardian Carers Feature on BBC News London

How to hire a carer for your family member

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How do I hire a carer for my family member and what does an agency offer?

Home care essentially is supportive care provided within you or your loved one's household. Your private home carer can assist you with almost anything from personal care and wellbeing to managing household chores or both. Having a carer allows you to maintain your independence, freedom, and quality of life.

Hiring an experienced care agency, like Guardian Carers takes the stress and hassle of trying to resource an experienced carer yourself. We will help find you or your loved one an experienced carer who best matches your needs and requirements as well as having similar hobbies and interests in common. Having someone who has similar attributes to you, allows for a stronger connection to be developed and for better care to be administered.

We will provide you with a list of experienced carers that are best matched to your interests and needs. We can give you interviewing tips and book interviews at times that work for you. Once you have chosen the carer you like the best, we can guide you through the paperwork and provide sample contracts. We can also set you up with our payroll service

Guardian Carers has been placing carers for 15 years, we will give you access to a range of qualified carers, starting from a minimum of 3 years experience and can offer skilled carers that have medical training.

Would I want to hire carer directly?

There are advantages and disadvantages to hiring direct. On one hand, it can be seen as more advantageous to employ your own carer as it would provide continuity, increased familiarity with your carer and you can almost count on finding a carer that has the relationship you are looking for. This may sound all well and good until you understand the strict legislation rules that apply to you as an employer, for example, considering the living wage, the issue with a maximum of 48 hours a week your carer may insist he or she can legally only be obliged to do. Also if your relationship with your carer breaks down and you want to terminate their contract, you will need to prove that dismissal is fair. You would also need to ensure you candidates have a DBS check, and personally check their verbal references to ensure they have the experience they say they have, which can be very time-consuming.

A family carer near you

Guardian Carers offer flexible family care service in locations throughout the UK, including in and around London as well as some other counties within the UK. With our vast range of service locations, we can find you a family carer that lives close to you to ensure they should never be late and can be there within a short period of time if needed. This allows you to stay in your home as your carer can be as flexible as you need to work around your schedule and needs. Your safety and security are behind the driving forces of what we do, we have an extensive vetting procedure to ensure your carer is a positive and seamless addition to your home.

Insurance for family carers

If you are hiring a carer that is self-employed, they will need to have their own insurance. Self-employed carers need to have Public Liability Insurance in place. It is important that the carer you have hired has this insurance as there can be risks involved, whether that be helping a client move around their home or handling their medication. By having Public Liability Insurance will protect them in situations that involve personal injury, errors, accidents, abuse claims and other risks within the job role.

What does a carer for a family member do?

Employing a carer for your family member is the perfect solution for those who feel as though they are not quite ready to leave their beloved family home but find themselves increasingly relying on friends or family to assist with aspects of their daily life.

Caring for a family member is completely customizable to your schedule and your needs, whether that be full time, part-time, live-out or live-in care for a family member. This is why private care for your family members is the most accommodating care option for your family member. The added support around their day to day life will mean they are able to live as independently as possible, without feeling like a burden on you to get essential tasks done and remain in your home and community for as long as possible surrounded by their friends and their precious possessions that hold such dear memories.

Your experienced carer can assist with:

  • Organising activities
  • Taking you to social events
  • Organising appointments
  • Mediation management
  • Personal care
  • Grooming
  • Helping with a hobby
  • Laundry and ironing
  • Preparing meals
  • Liaising with doctors
  • Light gardening
  • Ensuring the home is kept clean and tidy to your standards
  • Taking pets on walks
  • Mobility support
  • Helping with the hoovering
  • Changing bed linen

Personalised care

Care for your family member provides a personalised, flexible and one on one care for your loved one in the environment where they feel most comfortable. By choosing an experienced carer for your family member, you are choosing to keep them in their home for as long as possible, surrounded by their friends and community. By personalising the care, your family member will remain independent within their home until they feel ready to move on to a retirement residence. Personalised care also means that as their needs develop, their care can develop too alongside them.

Specialised care and in-depth understanding

Private and personalised care is essential if your family member is dealing with more serious health issues that may have complications. Private carers are specifically trained and have years of hands-on experience managing these illnesses on a day to day basis, they will provide you with a deeper understanding than your loved ones might be able to provide.

They will also be more experienced that your loved ones may be in dealing with more challenging situations that might arise. They are also able to guide you through the changes that happen within yourself, provide you with reassurance and an understanding shoulder to lean on.

How do I find a care agency for my family member?

Knowing where to start your care search can be overwhelming. This is where consulting an experienced private care agency is a good point to start at. With an agency, you have access to expert, experienced advice. Agencies also take the hassle of employing a private carer for your family member and make the process a seamless experience. With Guardian Carers, we interview and screen all our candidates and discuss with them in detail their experience and qualifications they have to ensure you are only presented with candidates that perfectly align with your needs. We are able to provide sample contracts and a payroll service once you have found your perfect carer for your family member and our friendly and experienced consultants are always on hand to help with any questions or concerns during and after your search with us. With Guardian Carers, you can rest assured that from the first point of contact, you will always have our support if and when you need.

Flawless from the first call

Private live-in care services such as Guardian Carers take the hassle of resourcing potential private carers from your family member and make it is as seamless and stressfree as possible. The trust and security that you place in our hands is not something that we take lightly, this is why we have honed our vetting procedure down to a fine art to ensure your safety and the safety of your loved ones. We bring them into the office for a face to face interview where their experience and qualifications are discussed at length and we are able to obtain verbal references which we then personally check ourselves.

All of our carers will have the following:

  • First Aid and Safeguarding qualification
  • Enhanced DBS check
  • At least 3 years of experience
  • Any language requirements can be accommodated

From the very first call, your consultant will guide you through what your options are, what would suit your requirements most closely and put your mind to rest with any concerns you might have. Our consultants are also on hand to help and answer any questions you might have along the way, using a care agency in London like Guardian Carers means you have a direct line to the experts.

We know what it takes

Our years of experience within the care industry means we know what it takes to be an outstanding carer, which is why all the carers we work with are the best in the industry. We pride ourselves on providing a premium level of service and care for our clients. We maintain the highest standards and expect the best from our carers.

So much so that 90% of the families we work with result in a happy, lasting placement. Using a care agency like Guardian Carers means you can be sure you will receive support from all sides, we will take the stress of finding a carer from you and present you with a live-in carer that perfectly aligns with your care needs.

We work with your family to find solutions, whatever your needs. To make perfect and seamless placements is Guardian Carers ethos. With Guardian Carers it is your care, your home, your way.

Book a consultation

Give us a call. We are ready to help. We believe we can find your perfect carer.