Care Home Finder is already well known and highly respected for providing a service to help individuals and their families to find a suitable care home, care at home, sheltered housing, or extra care.

We are delighted to announce that we now also offer a complementary Care Review Service to ensure that the right care solution is in place for people already receiving care, whether at home, or in a care home. In some instances, the need for this can arise where a family are becoming concerned about the care their relative is receiving.

More frequently, we are being contacted by professional advisors, such as solicitors or attorneys, who have already arranged a package of care for a client and have a responsibility to ensure that the individual for whom they have made arrangements is receiving the right care provision.

So, how does a Care Review work?

We start by gaining a detailed understanding of the individual who is receiving care, including, for example, what conditions they are living with, whether they have capacity, their care plan, and what, if any, issues have arisen which are causing particular concern.

At this early stage, we also inspect the most recent CQC report, identifying any issues raised, with a view to assessing the progress in addressing areas of concern, which are of particular relevance.

For people in care homes, the review process can usually begin immediately and typically starts with two separate unannounced visits to the care home where the person is living. We assess a number of different aspects relating to the care and wellbeing of the individual, such as:

  • Engagement of staff with the resident
  • General health/sense of wellbeing/fitness and weight
  • Activities/hobbies/mixing with other residents/entertainment
  • Standard of menu/food
  • Trips out/interests

When the unannounced inspections have been completed, we prepare a detailed report of our findings and share it with the family, or advisor.

We then arrange a formal meeting with the home’s management to discuss our observations and agree any changes to the structure, or delivery of the individual’s care. The process should be viewed as a positive, rather than critical one, and the preferred option is always to implement any changes or improvements identified within the review process.

For people receiving domiciliary care (i.e. care at home), the process follows a very similar path, although it may not be appropriate to carry out unannounced inspections where carers are making occasional visits to the individual’s home. We assess all the relevant aspects of daily living, including:

  • Engagement of carers with the person being cared for
  • General health/sense of wellbeing/fitness and weight
  • Cleanliness of the property
  • Personal hygiene

In all reviews, should we find more serious issues, these would be flagged up with the individual and/or client, plus any relevant authorities.

For more information about our Care Review Service, please contact Howard Masters ([email protected]) or Fiona Gilbert ([email protected])

Or, telephone 0345 853 0300