You are choosing who comes into a family member’s home while nobody else is watching. Brochures and websites will not tell you much about that. These questions will, and most of them take a phone call.
Ask the same ones of two or three agencies. The differences between the answers tell you more than any single answer does.
- How many different carers will come in a normal week?
The single best predictor of whether this will work. Continuity is what families end up complaining about when it goes wrong, and a good answer is a small number they can name. - What happens if the regular carer is off sick?
Every agency has cover. The question is whether cover means someone who has read the care plan or someone who has never been to the house. - Are your carers paid for travel time between visits?
This is the question that separates agencies more than any other. Unpaid travel time means carers lose money on short visits, and the good ones leave. It also affects whether your visit starts on time. - What is the shortest visit you will do?
Fifteen minutes is enough to put a meal down and leave. If you need someone washed and dressed, it is not. Ask what can realistically be done in the slot you are buying. - How much notice do I get if the visit time changes?
Rotas move. The difference between a good agency and a poor one is whether you hear about it before or after the carer fails to arrive. - Who writes the care plan, and can we change it?
It should be written with the person receiving care, not about them, and it should be easy to revise as things change. - What training have the carers had for this particular condition?
Dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke and end of life care all need specific handling. "All our staff are fully trained" is not an answer to this question. - Can I see your most recent CQC report?
They will say yes. What you are learning is how they talk about it, particularly if it was not a good one. - What are your rates at weekends and bank holidays?
Often materially higher, and often not mentioned until the first invoice. - How do I raise a problem, and what happens then?
Ask for the actual process and the actual timescale. A vague answer here tends to predict a vague response later. - Do you accept direct payments or council funding?
If the council is paying, or might later, this decides whether you can stay with them. Worth knowing before you get attached. - Can I speak to a family you already work with?
A confident agency will arrange it. A reluctant one has told you something.
Before the call
Check the CQC record, which we link from every profile on this site. Registration means a service is allowed to operate and is inspected. It is not a recommendation, and the inspection may be years old.
Read the reviews, particularly the middling ones. A three-star review usually contains more useful detail than a five or a one.
After the call
Ask for the terms in writing before you commit: notice period, how they charge for a cancelled visit, and what happens if you need to increase or reduce the hours. Those three clauses cause most of the disputes.