Understanding the various healthcare pathways can be a bit of a mine field at times, especially for those of you who have not yet had to think about finding a care service for yourself or a loved one.
There are various resources available to help you in this journey, and we have listed a couple to get you started:
Care Quality Commission – Often referred to as the CQC.
The CQC monitor, inspect and regulate health and social care services. They publish what they find, including ratings to help people choose their provider with the information on how their service is achieving.
All care providers that deliver regulated activities are required to have a CQC registration and once an inspection has been carried out, they will receiving an overall rating for each of the 5 key lines of enquiries (KLOE’s) [below].
Overall Ratings
NHS UK
The NHS UK website has many different resources available to help you when looking at your care options, categories they look at include:
· Introduction to care and support
· Help from social services and charities
· Care services, equipment and care homes
· Money, Work and benefits
· Care after a hospital stay
· Support and benefits for carers
· Practical tips if you care for someone
· Caring for children and young people
· Making decisions for someone else
For more information on each category please check out the NHS website - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/
The above information will help you understand a little more about the help and support that is available, however each person is different and the care they receive should reflect this.
Once you have identified the type of care you are interested in, it is always good to look for a few providers who are suitable and then give each of them a call. This will help to identify which providers culture and values best fits you and your circumstances, while also giving you the opportunity to ask more questions.
One last thing to add is recommendations, if you know someone who used a care service then ask them for their feedback, as they will have a hands on experience and be able to give you insight from your perspective.
We hope you have found this information helpful and wish you all the best in finding the best service for you.
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