Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to your questions here!

How do I start care with Alina Homecare?

Please call your local office first (see Locations for details of all our branches). If you’re interested, we then set up an assessment in your own home and from there design your care plan. Once all that is agreed, we can start your homecare as soon as you want. For Crisis care, we can be with you within 24 hours.

What does home care include?

Well, it all depends on what you want and need. If it’s a bit of extra help to stay independent in your own home, choose home care. A Care Worker visits you in your own home, as often as you need during the week, to carry out domesticpersonalcompanionrespitecrisis or end of life care. If you need more round the clock support, think about live-in care. Here a Care Worker can carry out all of the above services, whenever you need them.

Whatever you chose, we are totally focused on you, our client. We listen to you and together design a care plan that is individual to you.

How do you assess my needs for care?

Following an enquiry, one of our Care Managers will visit you in your own home to assess and discuss your needs and what we can do to help. Its good for your family or medical team to be there too so we can discuss ways of working together to support you best. Then we formally suggest how Alina Homecare could help you by designing a care plan that is bespoke to your needs and wishes. This will then be agreed with you before care starts.

Is there anything my Care Worker cannot do?

Your care is driven by your care plan which is agreed with you upfront before we start to work for you. So just talk to us at any time if you want to change it. We cannot give injections or change sterile dressings. We also cannot undertake any tasks that might cause harm to you our client, or your Care Worker.

What is a care plan?

Alina Homecare provides bespoke care for people in their own homes, either as a series of visits or as live-in care. We don’t have a set series of activities we deliver for all of our customers. Instead, we discuss what sort of support you need. We can involve your family and your medical team in these conversations too.

Then we design a plan that exactly details how we will care for you, from the times we will visit to how you take your tea. We go through it line by line with you to make sure you are happy and that becomes your care plan, which our Care Workers follow in supporting you.

Can my care plan change if my needs change or I don’t like it?

From time to time needs change – more care, less care, different care. We are always flexible and, if you want a change, we adapt your care plan to reflect this. So please discuss any changes that you would like to consider with your usual Care Worker or their manager. If we spot anything, we’ll mention it too.

What is ‘Right to Respect’?

This is one of our most important frequently asked questions. Alina Homecare aims to help our customers enjoy a way of life that enables them, as much as possible, to fulfil their rights as human beings. Their rights to privacy, dignity, independence, security, civil rights, choice, fulfilment and diversity are fundamental to our culture and work, and we do all that we can to help make this happen.

How much will homecare in my own home cost?

Your local authority can pay for home care, but each one has a different approach to the type of care you can receive and so your needs may not be catered for. However, if you have a long-term medical condition, the NHS’s Continuing Healthcare programme might help out. We can also help you investigate what’s possible and what’s not. Alternatively you, your family or friends can pay for your homecare.

We charge a competitive hourly rate and a weekly rate for live-in care.  There are no ‘minimum spend’ amounts or additional call-out fees.

When we agree your care plan with you, we will go through all the costs as part of a detailed breakdown. Nothing gets charged unless you agree to it first.

Will the same Care Worker visit me every week?

We try and give a very consistent service and that means a regular Care Worker wherever we can. However, if you need lots of visits each week, including day and evening time, it is likely that you will get to know more than one of the Care Workers in the Team. Customers tend to like that as they get to know a few people, rather than just one so that there are no surprises when your regular Care Worker takes time off.

When new staff join our Team they will always be introduced to you by someone you already know.  All our Care Workers have been reference and Disclosure & Barring Service (Criminal Records Bureau) checked.

Will my Care Worker visit at the same time each day?

That depends on your needs and what you would like to do. If you want them at the same time each day, we’ll design your care plan around this.

What do I do if my Care Worker is late or doesn’t show up?

Simple – just telephone your local office. It’s likely that they’ve just got held up, but if you call us, we can investigate and if needed, get another member of the Team to visit you instead.

How will I know it’s an Alina Care Worker at the door?

All our Care Workers wear our distinctive pink and grey uniform and carry a photo-ID card with Alina’s logo on it. Always ask to see it and if you are still unsure, please call your local office.

You will be introduced to each of the Care Workers on your Team before their first care visit so you’ll recognise each of them anyway.

The only exception would be crisis care where we might have to get someone to you in a hurry and you’re usual Team isn’t available. But you’ll still recognise the uniform and can ask to see their ID card.

Can I change my Care Worker if we don’t get along?

If you are unhappy or feeling uncomfortable with your homecare or live-in Care Worker in any way, please ring your local office and talk to one of the managers.

We are all different people with different personalities and though we try our best to match the right people together, sometimes it just doesn’t work. So please don’t worry about it, just talk to us and we’ll try and find someone better suited to you.

How do you train your Care Workers?

Our Care Workers all go through a very structured Alina Homecare induction that complies with the necessary regulatory standards, irrespective of their previous experience. They all spend 4 days in classroom training and are then ‘shadowed’ working with our customers.

They are regularly assessed and supervised and given refresher training to update their skills and medical knowledge.

Is Alina Homecare registered with all the right professional associations/government bodies?

Homecare is a highly regulated activity for all the right reasons, since many of those that we support are vulnerable. Alina Homecare is fully registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).  We are also recognised as a preferred supplier to a number of Local Authorities.

Can I get in touch with someone outside normal office hours?

Yes of course. Our offices are normally open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Outside these times we operate an out-of-hours emergency service, which is manned from 7am to 10pm.

Just dial the usual number and you’ll be transferred to our On Call service. Leave a message and one of us will get back to you as soon as possible. This service includes Weekends and Bank Holidays.

If this list of frequently asked questions has not answered yours, give us a ring today on 0808 169 6930.