Please note this service is only available for people in the North East of Hampshire
Live-in care
You are going home with a carer to live with you to support you.
This service is free and will last for a maximum of four weeks.
About this service
Why am I having this service?
Returning home to a familiar environment, with the appropriate support in place to keep you safe, is the best way to help you to recover and regain your independence while we work with you to see if you may need longer term support.
It will allow time for us to carry out care and other support assessments in your own home. During this time, a carer will live with you to help you with your care and support needs. They will work with you to increase your independence.
We have chosen this as the best service for you because of the support you need at the moment. This could be, for example, because you need some help during the night.
We will already have spoken to you to confirm that:
- there is an appropriate separate room with adequate furniture where the carer can stay overnight
- there is an accessible bathroom for the carer to use
- the carer can use the kitchen to prepare meals for themselves
- there are laundry facilities for the carer to wash their clothes.
How long will this service last and do I have to pay?
This is a free service which is provided in your own home for a maximum of four weeks. It may end earlier than four weeks if:
- you no longer need this care, or
- you have been assessed as needing longer term care and this is agreed before the end of the four week period.
What happens when I leave hospital?
Before you leave hospital, the social work team will make a referral to the live-in care provider. The provider will then contact you (or a friend or family member who you have asked to act on your behalf) to discuss access to your property and to begin their own initial assessment.
When you are discharged from the hospital, the carer will be ready and waiting at your property.
Your care provider will ask you more questions about what you would like to achieve to increase your independence and will work with you on a plan to help you achieve this.
Within 48 hours of leaving hospital, a member of the social work team should be assigned to you as your ‘allocated worker’. They will then contact you to arrange a time to visit you to carry out an assessment of your care needs. The assessment should take place within 14 days of you coming out of hospital.
We will send you information leaflets before the assessment to help you to prepare for the meeting. They will explain more about the assessment and the kind of questions we will ask you.
What if I need longer term care and support at the end of the four weeks?
If your ongoing care and support needs are assessed as being eligible for help from the Council, we will work with you to develop a personal support plan.
There are many different options we will look at with you. This could include what you can do for yourself, help from family and friends, access to community facilities or support from voluntary services. We might also suggest equipment or adaptations to your home. Your support plan will make the most of what you can do with the help you have around you.
We will work with you and the live-in care provider to smooth the transition to your long-term care.
If you are not eligible for services from the Council, we will give you information and advice about how to access care and support services for yourself. You can find information and services to manage your own care needs and to stay independent on the Connect to Support Hampshire website.
Who will pay for my care after the free four-week service ends?
If you are eligible for help from the Council and you require formal services, such as residential care or a paid carer coming into your home, the social worker will arrange for you to have a financial assessment, if you haven’t had one previously. This is to determine how your long-term care will be funded.
Depending on your financial circumstances, you may need to pay some or all of the cost of your care and support.
The Council reserves the right to charge you for your care from the date long-term care is assessed as appropriate and provided. As short-term services are time limited, this may start on a date before we can carry out your financial assessment. It would also apply if you received long-term services in the same location as the short-term service. Any charges will be in line with our usual practices.
More information about:
Paying for care in a care home
Support for anyone who is supporting or caring for another person
Do you provide unpaid practical or emotional support to someone? This could be to a family member, a friend or another person who needs help or support to manage daily activities. If you do, then you are a carer.
You may be looking after someone who:
- is an older person
- has a mental health condition
- is living with a disability
- has a long-term medical condition
- has a terminal illness
Carers can be:
- adults caring for other adults
- parents or other adults looking after children
- young carers (under 18) caring for or involved in the care of a relative, a friend or neighbour
Caring for someone can be tiring and stressful. Carers often focus so much on the needs of the person they are supporting or caring for that they neglect their own health and wellbeing. If you are a carer, it is very important that you also look after yourself.
You can find lots of information about the support on offer, both locally and nationally, for you as a carer on the Connect to Support Hampshire website.
This information includes:
- carers’ rights
- support available locally to carers
- how to register as a carer with your GP
- financial support
- getting a break from caring
- preparation and support for carers in an emergency