Home health care refers to the medical, physical and social help for people who are unable to do things for themselves. This can be short term or long term and depends on the type of illness or care needed.
Until recently, home health care needs (also called domiciliary needs) were usually controlled by the local authority, but over the years, private practices have been allowed to do the job. By taking over domiciliary services private companies enable local authorities (often in conjunction with the NHS) to concentrate on assessing the needs of the individual.
That said local authorities have a statutory requirement to provide health care services. Consequently, as the service is a purchased service (whether in-house or bought from a private practice) whoever provides the local authority must also ensure that health care standards are met.
United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA)
This particular organisation is the governing institution for domiciliary care givers, both in the self-governing and voluntary sectors. It currently embodies the opinions of more than 1600 home care providers, each one of whom must coincide with the UKHCA code of practice.
The UKHCA is also a method of contact for families who want information about home care help. As such, the body can provide information about local agencies and the type of care they provide.
Regulatory Bodies
Home care is currently regulated by 3 different organisations depending on where you live in the country. In England, this is the Quality Care Commission; in Wales it is the Care and Social Services Inspectorate (Wales), while in Scotland the regulator is the Care Commission. For Northern Ireland, this is yet to be fully operational.
Home Help
At the very basic level, an individual and their carer may just need some sort of home help. This could be bringing someone in to do washing and cleaning or perhaps go shopping. It may also include help with preparing meals.
This sort of non medical care is a growing phenomenon, and is available for people o all ages, although in general it is people of pensionable age who tend to be the greatest users of the service.
Occupational Therapy
The job of the occupational therapist is to assess the physical needs of a patient or individual struggling to cope at home. The job is as varied as the needs of the person. For example, a person struggling to lie down in a bath might just need some sort of bath seat, while those who are unable to walk up stairs are likely to require a stair lift. Whatever the needs, the occupational therapist will attend the person in their home, chat about their problems then make a proper assessment.
Medical Needs
While out of hours surgeries are no longer the norm, where people are unable to attend a GP’s surgery, the doctor will come out.
The local doctor is also in the position to assess other needs of his or her patient, and will liaise with local authorities and other bodies as to the best approach.
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