Summary
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a new guideline concerning high-quality home care services for older people (i.e. home care, sometimes known as domiciliary care). It puts the focus on supporting the aspirations, goals and priorities of each person. Home care visits to elderly people should last for at least 30 minutes. Continuity of care is another priority, to ensure home care worker(s) can become more familiar and build more stable relationships with care recipients.
The guideline was developed by the NICE Collaborating Centre for Social Care (NCCSC). It covers the planning and delivery of person-centred care for older people in their own homes. The aim is to promote personal independence, via home care services which are safe and of consistently high quality.
Reference
Triggle, N. (2015). Home care visits ‘must last at least 30 minutes’. London: BBC Health News, September 23rd 2015.
See also:
Reference
Promoting independence in old age: NICE guideline will support those who need help to live at home. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), September 23rd 2015.
Section headings include:
- Recommendations.
- Ensuring care is person-centred.
- Provision of information about care and support options.
- Planning and reviewing home care and support.
- Delivering home care (including recommendations on the length home care visits).
- Joint working between health and social care.
- Ensuring safety and safeguarding people using home care services.
- Recruiting, training and supporting home care workers.
- Home care implementation: getting started.
- Context.
- Recommendations for research.
Reference
Home care: delivering personal care and practical support to older people living in their own homes. NICE Guidance (NG21). London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), September 23rd 2015.
Quality Standards for Home Care Under Development
NICE is also working on draft quality standards concerning recommended minimum standards for home care. This will focus on 6-8 specific key areas of care most in need of improvement. The anticipated publication date is June 2016.
Reference
Offer personalised care to support those who need help to live at home. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), September 23rd 2015.
Information About Care and Support Options
Possibly of tangential interest, the Local Government Ombudsman has reported on cases where families may be paying too much for care in England (whether for residential social care, or perhaps for home care to a lesser extent) because of confusing or incorrect information supplied by councils:
Reference
Families often charged too much for care, ombudsman says. London: BBC Health News, September 24th 2015.
Funding Shortages: Two-Thirds of Persons Requesting Help With Home Care Declined?
Of the almost 1.85 million requests for home care support from local councils last year, from older and disabled people in England, only around 650,000 people received assistance.
Reference
Triggle, N. (2015). Councils reject two-thirds of requests for care. London: BBC Health News, October 7th 2015.
Flying Visits
The union Unison has used FOI requests and a care staff survey to establish the persistence of 15-minute home care visits.
Reference
Triggle, N. (2016). Short home care visits ‘plague system’. London: BBC Health News, January 29th 2016.
