Is Home Care Safe? Common Worries About Arranging Care

Arranging home care for someone you love can bring up all sorts of questions. Will they be safe? Can you trust someone you don't know? What if your mum or dad doesn't get along with their carer?

These are understandable worries, particularly when you're making decisions about someone else's wellbeing.

In this episode of The Care Podcast, host Jo Cleary speaks with Nicola Culkeen, Registered Manager at Unique Senior Care, about the concerns families commonly raise when considering home care.

Drawing on 30 years of experience in care, Nicola explains what families can do to feel more confident, how care providers should respond to their questions and why there's no need to rush such an important decision.

Is it safe to have a carer come into your home?

For many families, one of the biggest concerns is inviting someone they don't know into their loved one's home. You're trusting that person to provide support, sometimes with very personal aspects of everyday life.

Nicola explains that families often ask about background checks, references and how carers are assessed before they're allowed to work independently.

At Unique Senior Care, this includes DBS checks, references and a four-day training programme for visiting carers (extending to five for live-in carers). Nicola describes how the training period also gives the team an opportunity to get to know new employees and assess their suitability for the role.

The checks don't stop once someone starts working. Shadowing experienced carers, spot checks and feedback from clients all help the wider team monitor the care being provided.

For families comparing providers, it's worth asking not only what checks take place before someone is employed, but also how their work is supervised afterwards.

How can you check whether a home care provider is trustworthy?

You don't have to rely entirely on what a care company tells you about itself. Nicola encourages families to do their own research, read reviews and take time to get a feel for the provider before making a decision.

There are several useful places to start:

• Care Quality Commission (CQC): The CQC website provides inspection reports and ratings for registered care services in England.
• Homecare.co.uk: Families and people receiving care can share their experiences of individual providers.
• Trustpilot and Google reviews: These can offer further insight into people's experiences, including communication and how concerns have been handled.

It's worth looking beyond the overall rating and reading what people actually say about the care they've received.

Nicola also explains that some families need more than one conversation before they're comfortable making a decision, and that's absolutely fine. Meeting the team, asking questions and discussing how care would work in your loved one's home can all help you decide whether a provider feels right for your family.

Can you have cameras in your loved one's home?

Some families use indoor cameras or video doorbells to help them keep an eye on a loved one, particularly when they live alone.

Nicola explains that Unique Senior Care is comfortable with families using cameras, provided they're discussed openly and the appropriate arrangements are in place.

There are, however, important considerations around consent and privacy. If your loved one can make their own decision about cameras, their wishes should be respected. If they cannot make that particular decision, any arrangements need to be considered in line with the Mental Capacity Act and their best interests. Having Power of Attorney may be relevant, but it doesn't automatically give someone unrestricted permission to install cameras.

Care providers should also be told about recording equipment so that carers are aware of it and appropriate information can be included in the care plan.

For some families, being able to check when a carer arrives or see that a loved one is safely at home provides reassurance. But cameras aren't a substitute for proper care planning, regular communication or supervision from the care provider.

The important thing is to discuss your concerns openly and agree on arrangements that respect everyone's privacy and dignity.

What if you're worried about the cost of home care?

Alongside safety, the cost of care is another concern Nicola hears regularly. Families may know their loved one needs support but worry about how much they can realistically afford, particularly when they're unsure how long care will be needed.

Nicola explains that her approach is to understand what the person actually needs, rather than automatically recommending the largest care package.

For example, if someone would benefit from several visits each day but the cost is a concern, the team can discuss whether there are other ways to arrange the support. This might involve looking at the timing and length of visits or considering which tasks can safely be combined.

Of course, any arrangement still needs to meet the person's assessed needs. Reducing visits simply to save money isn't appropriate if it leaves someone without essential support.

Is there financial help available for home care?

Some people may be eligible for financial support towards care, but many families aren't sure where to begin looking.

Nicola points out that most people don't research care funding until they actually need it. By then, they're often trying to understand several unfamiliar things at once.

Although Unique Senior Care doesn't arrange funding directly, the team can signpost families towards organisations and services that may be able to help.

Depending on individual circumstances, this could include speaking to the local council about a care needs assessment and financial assessment, or exploring relevant benefits and NHS funding.

Being open about your budget from the beginning gives the care provider a better understanding of your circumstances and helps you have a realistic conversation about your options.

What if your loved one doesn't like their carer?

Another worry families raise is what happens if their mum or dad doesn't get along with the person visiting them.

Sometimes the concern is about personalities not being a good match. Other times, families worry that their loved one might be upset, frustrated or reluctant to accept help.

Nicola explains that families can feel quite apologetic about this, particularly if their parent has a difficult morning or speaks sharply to a carer. But carers understand that people have good days and bad days, just like anyone else.

A difficult visit doesn't automatically mean that care will be withdrawn or that the person has done something wrong.

It's important to understand why someone is unhappy. They might feel uncomfortable accepting help, be struggling with a change in routine or simply need more time to get to know their carer. And sometimes, two people just aren't the right match.

Families should feel able to raise these concerns with their care provider so the team can understand what's happening and consider what needs to change. The aim is to help the person receiving care feel comfortable and respected, rather than expecting them to adapt to a situation that isn't working.

Why talking about your worries can make such a difference

Towards the end of the conversation, Nicola shares what she considers the most important advice for families arranging care: don't keep your worries to yourself.

It's easy to imagine that you're the only person concerned about something, particularly when you don't want to worry other family members or feel embarrassed asking questions.

But Nicola explains that many of the concerns families raise are things care teams have heard before. That doesn't make your worry any less important. It simply means there may already be practical ways to address it.

Some questions can be answered quickly. Others may take more time, further conversations or changes to the proposed care arrangements. The important thing is knowing that you can ask.

Whether you're concerned about safety, costs, cameras or how your loved one might respond to care, you shouldn't feel pressured to make a decision before you understand what you're agreeing to.

If you're beginning to explore home care, you can learn more about our hourly care at home or talk through your options with our team.

Continuing the conversation

If you're navigating the care journey, you may find it helpful to explore more episodes of The Care Podcast, where families and care professionals speak honestly about the realities of care.

If you are thinking about support for yourself or someone you love, our team is here to talk things through. Helping families make sense of care is what we do.

You may also find our Care Advice Hub useful, where we share practical guidance for families at every stage of their care journey.