Anyone needing homecare is in a vulnerable situation. The big question is what to do about it, in a way that's affordable.
Conventional Agency homecare brings all the benefits of official Regulation, but its very expensive - just 1 hour per day may cost as much as £5000 a year, depending on rates and region.
And the problem is that for many people this is un-affordable, unless you have Local Authority assistance or a substantial private income. Which leaves folks reliant on either family or an un-regulated privately arranged carer. Private care continues un-regulated despite a recent review by the authorities.
So how does the vulnerable client gain access to the world of private care in a way that offers some protection?
There are many websites that carry carer and client classified adverts (along with cars and flat-shares), but they are something of a jungle, and only a few specialise.
SimpleNeeds is one of the few specialised sites and its unique feature is accurate postcode search with anonymous messaging.
SimpleNeeds' mission is to build a nationwide database of private carers, with established carer credentials, via references, CRB/DBS disclosures and training certificates.
Our goal is to provide an equivalent or even better level of assurance to that obtained from a conventional CQC regulated agency.