FAQs

The founders of Radfield Home Care, Dr. Hannah MacKechnie and Alex Green, were raised in a residential care home and understand the care industry better than anyone. Hannah is a qualified GP and has a lifetime’s experience of caring for older people.

Radfield Care Professionals are trained rigorously at all levels of practical care but where we excel is our approach of warmth, dignity and respect that encompasses the Radfield culture.

We don’t like the word assessment…it sounds too clinical. Instead, we meet every new client to do a Care Consultation prior to starting care.

The consultation is where we can discuss what challenges you are having and how we are able to help. We then work together to build a plan of care that is specifically created for you. If you like your tea with 3 sugars and a dash of cream….no problem! If you like your bed turned down in a specific way…. no problem! Everyone has their own way of doing things and our Care Professionals will support you with living your life in your way.

Hospitals and social workers often will not allow a patient to return home unless a care package is in place and we have experience in dealing with these situations to make it as easy as possible for you.

In these circumstances, we can arrange a care package quickly, often for the next day, if we have a Care Professional available.

We can visit your relative in the hospital to arrange their care package in accordance with their needs and preferences, and we will liaise with the hospital social workers to arrange discharge.

Yes, you can have whoever you wish present during the care assessment.

Our fully trained Care Professionals can offer a twenty-four hour a day live-in care service, to meet any specialist needs, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, dementia, stroke and end of life care.

Read more about our ‘Specialist Home Care Services’.

We can offer a home care service starting from just one hour a week, to suit your needs.

Read more about our ‘Home Care Services’.

CQC is the governing body that regulates care services in England. They ensure that care services are complying with the many regulations that they set out in terms of how Care Professionals are recruited safely and how care for vulnerable clients is managed effectively.

This means that a CQC Registered home care agency will have met these regulations and must have insurance in place to offer you more protection and a greater level of service than hiring a self-employed independent carer or an online matching service.

A CQC registered home care agency provides you with a managed service – this means that you have a qualified Care Manager who is approved and registered by CQC to oversee the care that you receive. This is especially important when care involves medication management, moving and handling people, catheter care, specialist conditions and dementia care.

A managed service will also be responsible for ensuring all of its Care Professionals have thorough, up to date training, that their work is regularly monitored and that all staff have regular reviews and supervisions.

It also ensures that client care is reviewed regularly, that there is a person who takes responsibility for any issues that arise and will endeavour to resolve them promptly.

You can make any changes that you require at any time.

Changes and adjustments to your care are constantly monitored to ensure that you always receive the right care package for you.
Our focus is that you are always feeling well looked after and that your needs are being met. We pride ourselves on the speed of responding both to issues and to feedback that requires changes.

Most clients choose to pay via direct debit or via a bank transfer using internet or phone banking. Our bank details are on the invoice. You can also pay by cheque.

To request a direct payment you will need to contact your local social services department who will arrange a community care assessment and check your eligibility to receive a direct payment.

Once you have been assessed, there is no time limit for you to decide whether to have a direct payment or not. But if you do decide you would like a direct payment, your social worker will refer you to a direct payment support service.

If you already receive care with Radfield and you think you may be eligible for a direct payment, you can just let us know and we can assist you with the process.

You will need to make contact with your local social services department and they will be able to tell you if you are eligible for local authority funding.

Our ‘How To Pay For Home Care’ page explains applying for funding in more detail.

A direct payment is a cash payment made directly to you from your local authority, so you can choose your own care provider, rather than having it delivered to you by their contractor.

Direct payments for people who need social care support have been around for over 20 years. However, the freedom to choose your own care provider was introduced by the Government in the Care Act 2014.

The direct payment must be used to purchase services that meet your care needs. You will be required to keep a record of how you spend your direct payment which your local authority will want to see, usually once a quarter. A direct payment cannot be used to purchase residential care or other services provided directly by a local authority.

You may be required to make a contribution towards the cost of your care, just as you may already be paying towards services provided by your local authority. This will be based on the decision you make as to which care provider you choose to use.

You will need to open a separate bank account for your direct payment. Once the payments have been agreed for your care, the local authority will pay the agreed amount into your direct payment bank account. You will then pay us directly for the care that you receive.

We use the latest technology solution that enables any changes to a client’s care or medication to be immediately relayed to our Care Professionals so that they can be enacted immediately. The system also enables medication records and care notes to be immediately relayed to the office so that we can understand in great detail what is happening with each client in almost real-time. This also means that if a Care Professional is running late then the office or on-call team will be alerted and can ensure that measures are put in place to ensure our client’s safety.

The system allows family members and health care professionals to log in free of charge via an app when in the client’s home and view the care notes and medication records (with the client’s consent of course). For family members living further afield or even abroad they can log in to view the care records at any time and from anywhere.

You can cancel your care package at any time by providing two weeks notice in writing to your local care manager.

Radfield Home Care understands that care takes many forms and is often about having vital peace of mind and individual protection, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Through our trusted and tested Partners, Radfield is proud to offer ‘Connected Care’, a range of innovative assistive technology solutions carefully designed to keep you, or a loved one, safe whilst encouraging independence at home and out and about.

Our Connected Care solutions range from a non-intrusive daily-check in (OKEachDay), a go-anywhere alarm (Careline 365 Go GPS) that’s also available with an additional fall protector (Careline365 Fall Detector) and an all-encompassing system (MiiCare) that uses smart home sensors and offers full protection at home.

Radfield Home Care offers a number of Connected Care solutions, all aimed at providing essential reassurance to yourself or a loved one.

Daily check-in system – OKEachDay

A daily check-in system that is based on a very simple check process. OKEachDay may appeal to people who want the peace of mind provided by a regular check-in. It is perfect for older people who live on their own, who like to be in control, want to feel safer and want to help reassure friends and family.

Passive sensors – MiiCare

The MiiCare range of products work as a constant background check using passive sensors set up in the home. It is designed to help older people live more independently and safely in their own homes.

The passive sensors monitor movement patterns and the use of devices on an ongoing basis, building up a picture of daily life based on what typically happens. If an unexpected change in behaviour is detected that the MiiCare system detects, prompts can be given via an Alexa-style device – e.g. around taking medication or hydration.

Wearable devices – Go GPS & Fall Detector

The Go GPS & Fall Detector are wearable devices developed by Careline365, that support your independence wherever you need to go and give an extra level of protection that you can get help whenever you need it. Careline 365 offers wearable devices such as pendants or wrist-worn alarms. These are designed to be easy to operate and comfortable to wear, which means they are always readily available if required.

To find out more please contact your local office and they will be happy to discuss this and our full range of professional home care services with you.

To speak to us about our innovative Radfield Connected solutions and the costs associated with these, please contact your local office who will be happy to discuss this with you.

For a full list of duties please read this page, The Carer’s role.

We prefer that you get to know and build trust with more than one Carer/Care Professional so that you always have both consistency and a person with which you are comfortable. For example, if a Care Professional is on holiday or unable to work because of illness.

If you have several care visits a day, then you will have more than one Care Professional for different times.

The relationship you build with your Care Professionals is important, so we try to ensure that you always maintain consistency with the same small team of Care Professionals but we do have changes in our care staff from time to time. We can arrange for any new carers to be introduced to you and you can discuss with us if you have any issues.

All of Radfield’s Carers/Care Professionals have full training for providing personal care, administering medication, moving and handling, catheter care and infection control along with much more.

Medication can only be administered from a fully labelled container that has been prescribed to the client. Care Professionals are not allowed to give medication out of a dosset or any other unlabelled box.

Carer Professionals cannot give injections.

For a full list of duties please read this page, The Carer’s role.

Carers / Care Professional can empty and change catheter bags but cannot change an indwelling catheter.

Please enquire with your local office to find out if assistance with stoma care, PEG tubes or other specialist support is available.

All Radfield Carers/Care Professionals are fully trained for moving and handling which allows them to use equipment such as hoists, stand aids, wheelchairs and bath lifts to assist our clients to move around their homes.

For a full list of duties please read this page, The Carer’s role.

No. Your Carer or Care Professional spends the full amount of time with you that you pay for. Their travelling time is not taken out of your care visit.

We prefer that you get to know and build trust with more than one Carer /Care Professional so that you always have both consistency and a person you are comfortable with, and so that you are not affected by a Care Professional being on holiday or unable to work because of illness.

We create and agree with you a care plan that is specific to your needs. A copy of this plan is always available in your home so that you know the tasks that your Care Professional should be doing at any time. Care Professionals complete notes and medication records from each visit into the software system that we use – this also allows family members to view the care plan and all care notes and medication records from anywhere in the world.

All of our Care Professionals are carefully selected and trained, and before hiring we ask: would we trust them to look after our own parents?

Care Professionals are regularly supervised by our skilled team of supervisors to ensure that their work is always to the highest standard but if you have any issues, you can contact your local care manager at any time.

We understand that some personalities get along better than others and that inviting someone new into your life and home can take a little getting used to.

From our experience, we know that it can take several visits to become comfortable with your Carer/Care Professional and ask that you try a few visits, as a positive relationship usually develops.

All of our care staff are selected not only on their practical skills but also on their personality fit with our family culture, so very rarely have we had to change a Care Professional because of differences.

If you do have any issues, our care managers are always on hand to listen and respond to your needs.

We are fully insured in the event of something going wrong when care is being provided. You do need to make sure that your home insurance policy covers workers visiting your home. This is to cover anything in your home that could cause an injury; for example, a worn carpet on the stairs which creates a trip hazard.

Yes. All Radfield care staff are paid a tax free mileage allowance. In addition you also receive your usual rate of pay for all the time that you spend travelling between client homes.
Furthermore you will also accrue holiday entitlement and pay for all the time that you spend working and this includes the time that you spend travelling as well. Please compare these benefits carefully with other home care agencies and providers. Alongside being a Living Wage Accredited Employer, our Carers for Caring^TM pledge and rates of pay, not all Care providers are created equal.

It’s all about caring for older people who still live in their own homes, supporting them in lots of ways. From taking them out and about, to doing the weekly shop, from medication support to personal and dementia care, it’s all very similar to what you’d expect to provide for your own family and loved ones.

You don’t need any previous experience. If you’ve got some, that’s great, but we are always taking on people who are making the move into care as a profession for the first time. If you have compassion for others and empathy then that’s a great place to start. These are the qualities and attitudes that are important when we recruit. We can train you in all the rest.

We provide full training in order to prepare you for your role. You will undertake courses, shadow experienced Care Professionals and receive a structured programme of ongoing training. This ensures you will not only be able to provide the highest level of care to our clients, but also be supported and valued throughout your career with us.

You’re not alone. In fact, this is something lots of people ask. It’s also a bit of a myth that this is all there is to care. Yes, washing and bathing, and other aspects of personal care, can sometimes be part of helping clients in their home. The truth is it’s often just one small element of a much wider range of help. Our Care Professionals very frequently split their time helping with tasks around the home, and offering companionship, which includes every aspect of simply being a friend. We encourage longer care visits to our clients to give you proper time to care. This also means you’ll not be moving quickly from client to client. More time means you can really get to know people and build a special relationship with them. We’re always looking for Care Professionals who enjoy spending time in people’s company, making memories and encouraging our clients to keep up their hobbies and interests.

Our clients need care throughout the day and night. Care Professionals can choose which hours that they wish to work, however, our busiest times are mornings, lunch and evenings so it is important to be available at some of these times.

Our clients still need care at the weekends so we ask Carers / Care Professionals to be available to work alternate weekends. The amount of work that you wish to do at weekends is for you to agree with your manager.

You’ll need to be able to get to your appointments in a timely manner. Generally that means access to transport is required to travel between appointments at our clients’ homes. While we love bicycling, there’s often some distance between our clients’ homes, which means you might need access to a car or a motorbike/moped to get there on time. That said, in some locations it’s possible to use public transport or even walking to carry out visits.

Yes, all of our care staff need to have an enhanced police check (DBS) to be able to work with our clients.

We do ask our care staff to pay for their DBS check initially, and then we refund it to you in full after you’ve worked for us for a period of time.

Some clients might choose to be in their homes more than others, but the idea of a Care Professional is to enable the client to achieve those things that they might not be able to do on their own and promote their independence and wellbeing. Sometimes clients might not want to leave the house due to anxiety, depression and lack of confidence and this is exactly where a Care Professional can help, as a friend assisting them to get out and about to their chosen venue; maybe to the hairdressers, a community group or a doctor’s appointment. Other clients might need some physical help to enable them to do a bit of gardening, or visit a garden centre or supermarket. Our Care Professionals are there to promote independence and wellbeing, it’s all part of the role. It might take a little bit of time, plenty of cups of tea and conversations to build up the confidence and trust of the client. After that, we encourage visits and outings as much as each individual client wants.

Yes, there certainly would be. Radfield empowers all of its staff to develop further.

We have many examples of staff who have joined the Radfield care team, have shown the right attributes and qualities and have progressed very quickly to a supervisory role, followed by an office role as a care coordinator, field coordinator through to a care manager, managing the branch and care teams. Have a read of the many case studies on our website, with some great stories shared on career progression.

We encourage all our Care Professionals to undergo further qualifications in care and additional training courses to enhance their skills and knowledge.

Absolutely. We have a really clear programme of regular supervisions and appraisals that all members of our team receive to help them develop in their career…

The Care Certificate is something that all care workers have to complete before being allowed to work as a Care Professional. We can provide all of your training for this and support you through the Care Certificate.

All Care Professionals working at Radfield will complete the Care Certificate during their first three months of work. The training provided by Radfield is more comprehensive that just the Care Certificate as we believe a more thorough training programme is needed to become an exceptional Care Professional.

There is always someone you can speak to anytime of the day as we have an out of hours service available, where you can get advice and guidance as to what to do in a difficult or worrying situation. You’re never on your own!

This is a very natural concern for many people new to care. One thing you can be absolutely certain of is that when you’re a Radfield Care Professional you’re never alone. Our team culture, built on strong family values is a key part of what makes us so special. Everyone in the Radfield family shares the same ethos and values and we are there to support and empower you throughout your care career journey.

If you are at the early stages of thinking about a caring career or are just not sure if it would be right for you, the best thing to do is to pick up the phone and have a natter with one of our friendly team. They will be able to tell you more about what the role involves and whether it might be right for you. They may suggest that you pop into the office and have a chat to one of our Care Professionals so you can really get a feel for it.

A career in care is not always easy, it can be challenging and there will definitely be moments when it feels really tough. However, you will be in a hugely privileged position, you can be there for people when no one else is, you may become the only person they trust to help them through a really difficult time.

One thing that we can guarantee is that joining the Radfield community will never be boring. You will meet people from all walks of life,  there will be lots of laughter, maybe a few tears and some great friendships made along the way!

Working at the weekend is part of the role of a Care Professional as our clients need support every day. Your local office will be able to share their rates of pay with you.

You will be paid an enhancement for working on public and bank holidays.

We provide all of our Care Professionals with super-smart branded Radfield tops to wear. You’ll need to provide plain black trousers and flat shoes to wear with it.