For more information on the typical activities you can expect from the team please see below.
Personal Care is an umbrella term for the assistance with any care provided of a personal nature. It is important to Britannia Homecare to ensure that all the people we support receiving personal care are treated with dignity and respect and consent is gained as a basic human right. We work in line with the Fundamental Standards to ensure we are meeting the standards of the Care Act 2014 and regulatory requirements when delivering personal care.
Some of the personal care tasks we typically complete:
- Assistance with getting up and going to bed
- Support with washing including showering, bathing, bed baths and full basin washing
- Assistance with drying, dressing and selecting outfit of choice
- Oral care and personal grooming, including shaving and haircare
- Skin care and maintenance of skin integrity including application of lotions and creams
- Continence care including toileting, changing continence pads, catheter care, convene care, stoma care and maintaining aids used for continence including commodes and urinary bottles
Our homecare workers receive training in 'Person Centred Care'; 'Oral Health & Hygiene' and 'Dignity & Respect' and are fully equipped to deliver personal care in your desired way.
At Britannia Homecare we recognise that Nutrition and Hydration are high priority for vulnerable people and can have an impact on quality of life. We are diverse in our assistance with food and drink intake to meet specialist dietary requirements medically, personally, religiously and culturally. We understand the importance of meeting personal preferences during mealtime to maximise intake from at risk groups.
At Britannia Homecare we carry out Nutritional and Hydrational assessments for each individual using our service to tailor their intake to their personal preference and ability. We work alongside dieticians and speech and language therapists to support those who have difficulty with intake and monitor individuals at risk with regular weighing and monitoring of food and drink intake.
At Britannia Homecare we use all different cooking facilities to ensure your meals are cooked to your specific request and desires.
Our staff receive training in 'Food Hygiene' and 'Nutrition & Diet'.
Mobility is a really important factor in promoting independence. At Britannia Homecare we recognise that mobility can quite often be impacted throughout life due to underlying health conditions, general health deterioration and injury.
All of our homecare workers receive 'Moving and Handling Training' with a variety of equipment we frequently encounter in the community. These vary from the mildest of aids such as a walking sticks to your frames and rollators to more sophisticated aids including the molift raiser, sara steady, standing hoist and full sling hoist.
We recognise that more and more people wish to remain at home so it is imperative that our staff are competent using equipment to deliver care in a safe and dignified manner and in a person centred way to maximise opportunities for the people we support to live their life as they indent.
Part of our service is to progress mobility and work alongside community services such as physiotherapist and occupational therapists to practice exercises or practice mobilising to support with re-enable you to learn or relearn the skills you may have previously lost to be more confident and independent in your home setting.
Basic communication skills are something all staff must be knowledgeable on to be able to eliminate barriers to communication. Effective communication is imperative for delivering high-quality person-centred care and achieving the most whilst working collaboratively with individuals.
At Britannia Homecare we recognise the frustrations which come with barriers to communication, and we work hard to overcome these barriers. We have newly enrolled a large amount of our staff base to complete 'British Sign Language' along with completing a mandatory in-house course on 'Communication'.
Communication comes in all forms and its down to the knowledge and ability of our staff to work with you preferred methods of communication to optimise your care.
Staff have knowledge on the following areas of Verbal Communication:
- Good First Impressions
- Accurate Information
- Open Questions
- Tone & Pace
- Clarifying Messages
- Active Listening
- Empathy when Communicating
We also deliver training to cover the following areas of Non-Verbal Communication:
- Eye Contact
- Facial Expressions
- Posture
- Proximity
- Environment
Our staff support people when using technological aids for communication, human aids, images and/or pictures. We also recognise that those with conditions such as dementia and autism may require assistance with communication to encourage participation including objects of reference or speaking in simple language.
A number of our staff base are currently undertaking British Sign Language.
Transportation is one of the instrumental activities of daily living Britannia Homecare facilitates. All of our homecare workers operating a vehicle have Business insurance to support with transport to enable the people we support to utilise their times to their own benefit including attending medical appointments, well-being appointments and activities in the community.
We work alongside community-based services who provide transport to ensure we accommodate your plans by working around you.
Transportation can also be the equipment you use to enable your community access including wheelchairs, mobility scooters, frames and walkers. We are happy to support with community access whilst using this equipment.
Shopping is one of the instrumental activities of daily living Britannia Homecare supports with. Our involvement can vary from supporting to write a list to taking you to your preferred shop and assisting with your shopping. We can also shop on your behalf is this is your request.
We recognise that your shopping is a contributing factor to your well-being and having your staples and favourite items is important. At Britannia Homecare we use receipt books for the handling of money. We are not authorised to use bank cards or go to the cash point on your behalf.
Shopping is not limited to food and essential shopping - if you wish to go shopping for other items nothing is ever too much trouble for our team.
All of our homecare workers that use a vehicle have business insurance and our team of assessors complete a risk assessment to enable community access.
At Britannia Homecare we recognise that cleanliness in the home is an essential part of caring for you and preventing infection. Your environment plays a large part in your overall happiness and well-being. We aim to discuss the tasks you would like support with and work alongside you to create a plan that works around you and your current care provision.
Typical domestic tasks we currently provide are as follows:
- Hoovering
- Mopping Floors
- Laundry
- Ironing
- Bed Making & Changing
- Feeding & Caring for Pets
- Emptying Bins and Putting Out for Collection
- Changing and Disposal of Continence Items
- Surface Cleaning & Sanitizing
- Looking after White Goods
- Disposal of Out-of-Date Food
- Dusting
- Cleaning Bathroom and Wash Facilities
- Maintaining House Plants
In line with COSHH regulations (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002) our homecare workers are not permitted to use items containing irritants such as bleach, drain cleaning materials which contain sulphuric acid and oven cleaning products with irritant fumes.
At Britannia Homecare we like to encourage you to be as independent as your health will allow for as long as possible. All medication support is assessed on an individual basis and determined between our assessor and the individual using our service.
Whilst requirements on the handling of Medication are regulated we try our best to be as accommodating to your individual needs regarding medication. Homecare workers are here to support you to receive your medications on time and as prescribe to promote your health and well-being.
Our staff receive full and comprehensive medication training which gives them an understanding of medication specific health conditions, high risk medications and controlled drugs.
All medication administered by Britannia Homecare is done so with consent from the individual using our service.
