Live-In Care

So that we can recommend the best Live-in Care service, we carry on an Initial Assessment of our client’s needs, both medical and personal. Our assessment process begins when you make your first contact with us. We talk to you about the service you want and begin to understand what we need to do to meet your requirements. Our Care Manager will arrange a visit to discuss your needs further and to talk to you about what we can offer.

We will then conduct our thorough assessment including gathering information from all the people that play a part in our client’s life socially or medically in order to provide a custom-made, client-focused service. Once we have all the information necessary and understand our client’s needs, we will suggest suitable carers and begin to develop a Care Plan.

We dedicate a Care Team to each of our clients, consisting of a Carer, Care Manager and Field Supervisor. When we begin our service, our Care Manager will introduce your carer to you and discuss your needs and wishes with them. Our highly experienced Care Manager and care advisor will monitor your care service every step of the way. The Sylvian management team will contact you regularly to make sure you are happy with every aspect of our service. We will visit you to talk in person about the service we provide and what we can do to improve your experience. We are always available to talk to our clients and their relatives whenever they wish.

A dedicated carer providing care to a client in their own home, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Many consider it an affordable and more attractive option than entering a Nursing Home or Care Home or receiving multiple visits from Home Care Assistants.

We understand that Live-In Care needs are not always predictable, and that you may need to arrange care at home for you or someone else at short notice. That is why we always have available carers that can be placed at very short notice, often within 24 hours.

All our carers have previous care experience, so have perfected their practical skills and are experienced in the delivery of individual Live-In Care. As part of the Sylvian team, all our carers receive additional, comprehensive in-house training, to ensure that they meet the high standards that we set for all our Carers. In addition to this all carers receive ‘on the job’ training to ensure the individual needs of our clients are attended to and regular supervision. On-going training and development, regular updates and careful management by our experienced Care Managers, all ensure that we consistently exceed industry standards, such as the Skills for Care recommendations.

Our Care Managers have a wealth of experience in monitoring the provision of care, particularly Live-In Care, and in seeing that everything is as it should be. We make regular telephone contact with our carers, clients and their representatives. We make regular announced and unannounced visits to our clients’ homes to ensure we are always meeting our high standards of service delivery. We talk to our clients in confidence to ensure any concerns are raised. We build a relationship that promotes trust between us and our clients and ensure they are never worried about complaining. We have a 24 hour emergency on call support line for clients and carers alike, so help and advice is available at all times should it be required. We exceed the Care Quality Commission essential standards of quality and safety.

We understand that good quality and interesting meals are important to our clients and so we ensure that all our carers have good cooking skills so that they can prepare fresh, varied and nutritious food from healthy ingredients each day. All our Carers receive ‘Diet and Nutrition’ training as we feel this is such an important aspect of care. Each carer has a range of meals in their repertoire, and are happy to cook the client’s favourite food, be that typical English cuisine or something more adventurous. Appropriate refreshments will also be provided throughout the day to maintain fluid intake.

Sylvian Care is an experienced provider of all levels of dementia care. This means that our carers know the importance of ensuring the safety and dignity of our clients and minimising their anxiety whilst providing companionship delivered with compassion, diligence and sensitivity. We have a good understanding of how dementia affects the client and those close to them.

Our carers come primarily from Europe, reason for which we understand that clear communication is central to our ability to provide exceptional Live-In Care, and to that end, we vet our carers thoroughly as part of the recruitment process. All our carers have good spoken and written English, and great communication skills. Furthermore, all carers are trained to our highest standards, and undertake on-going professional development, so that we can provide the best possible Live-In Care for our clients. We always take into account our clients’ preferences in relation to our carers’ character, interests and cultural beliefs.

We are flexible about how long carers stay in post, based on the individual requirements of our clients. We understand that many people prefer continuity of care, so that they can build a relationship with their Live-In Carer, and so we facilitate this wherever possible and in doing so avoid the situation where clients are subjected to a rota pattern involving multiple carers. We believe this is part of the Sylvian difference: a dedicated carer results in a better sense of wellbeing and minimises feelings of confusion or vulnerability. We do of course continually monitor our carers to ensure they do not get tired, so that we can find a suitable temporary replacement should that be required.

Opting for Live-In Care provides many benefits compared with choosing a care home. Clients value highly the fact that they can maintain the ability to meet friends, continue to enjoy their favourite foods, maintain established patterns of life and, critically, remain in their own homes with their own possessions and pets. What’s more, they are able to continue to manage their own home, how it is run, and continue to live as normal. They simply have the extra help that they need, when they need it.

Choosing Live-In Care avoids the upheaval of moving in to a residential care home, settling into new surroundings and a more rigid routine, and perhaps only being able to see family and friends on a more restricted basis. Our approach is entirely flexible in meeting our client’s needs in their own homes, unrestricted by care home schedules or visiting home-carers’ timetables.

With Sylvian Live-In Care, our client’s routine is not disrupted, as their Care Plan is shaped to suit their individual wishes. For example, the Carer will prepare and cook the meals that our clients would really like and at their preferred mealtimes. In residential care homes the client has to adapt to the schedule of the care home including menus chosen by the management and no choice of mealtimes.

At Sylvian Care we engage and manage our own carers, unlike many other agencies who simply introduce carers to clients in return for a fee and then have no or limited involvement. We ensure that our carers undergo a stringent recruitment process and we thoroughly check their criminal and employment background and legal right to work in the UK, and handle all employment, contract, payment, tax and National Insurance matters.

As a Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered service provider, we need to ensure that our carers deliver their services at the highest possible standard, to comply with the CQC’s standards of care.

Our service receives regular inspections from CQC which, in turn, certifies that we, as a service provider, remain compliant with government’s essential standards of care and that we deliver the kind of quality and safe service that everyone deserves to receive.

We believe that the real difference we bring to our service is having a dedicated Care Manager which the clients can talk to, who knows their circumstances and can discuss any aspect of their care. This distinguishes us from other agencies who do not necessarily provide this level of personal attention and reassurance. Continual monitoring and contact with our clients ensures that high standards of quality and safety are always maintained. Furthermore, you can be assured that if your carer is sick or on holiday a suitable replacement will be found.

Our Live-In Care services are tailored on the individual requirements of our clients, as different clients have different levels of needs, so please do feel free to contact us for a no-obligation quotation for your specific care needs.

No, unlike many other agencies we don’t charge an assessment or registration fee. What’s more, we will agree all care fees with you in advance so that you are fully appraised of the cost of care provision

There are no additional charges or hidden extras; we take care of everything including tax and NI, included in our agreed fees. Additionally, we do not charge our clients for the carers travel. Our services are exempt from VAT, unlike agencies who simply introduce carers.

How do we cancel the service and what are the cost implications?

If you want to cancel you can simply give us 7 days’ notice; there are no other charges.

We tailor our service to your requirements, so we are happy to arrange this when possible. Of course, in the event that care needs to be arranged at very short notice, this may not be possible. In any case, you can be assured that you will be provided with all the information you need prior to meeting the carer for the first time, so that you have a clear idea of their personality and skills. At Sylvian, we keep very close contact with both our clients and our carers, so if at any time you feel as though things are not working out, we will happily find a suitable replacement so that your care provision is unaffected.

Unlike many other care agencies who simply introduce carers to clients in return for a fee, at Sylvian we engage and manage our own carers. This means that we are able to provide a replacement in the event that your Live-In Carer is off sick. In the event of your carer being on holiday, this would be planned in advance and a suitable temporary replacement made until they return.

Yes. Our absolute priority, and part of our skill as specialists in Live-In Care, is that we carefully match the client and carer in terms of skills and personalities. If for any reason the client does not feel the match is right, we would of course be able to make arrangements for the carer to be changed. We always take into account our clients’ preferences in relation to our carers’ character, religion and cultural beliefs.

As a result of how closely and regularly we monitor our clients and carers, we would be made aware immediately if there is a change in needs or circumstances. In this instance, our next step would be to re-assess the care provision as a matter of urgency and present the client and their family with the appropriate options should adjustments need to be made.

All our Carers undergo a rigorous selection process, including thorough checks before employment and an enhanced criminal record disclosure (DBS). Carers must have a proven positive record in care provision to be considered and we insist on care-specific references to ensure that all our carers are appropriately experienced. We consider our induction programme and initial training to be part of the interview process, and all carers need to pass before being placed with a client.

Live-In Care by its very nature, requires the carer to live in the client’s home, often for extended periods of time – all our carers are very respectful of this and of the client’s home. Their needs are simple: they require a bedroom, use of bathroom and provision of food and drink. Food and drink would be the same for the client, and if the carer has any particular dietary requirements they will provide this themselves at their own cost. Additionally, it is a minimum requirement that all carers have a 2 hour break and 8 hours sleep in each 24 hour period. However, we are able to be flexible and make arrangements according to our individual client’s needs.

Everything we do at Sylvian is designed to ensure that we offer our clients the best possible Live-In Care in their own homes 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing a real alternative to the disruption of moving into a Nursing Home or Care Home.

Our goal at Sylvian is to ensure we treat our clients as individuals, that we listen to their unique requirements, involve them fully in the development of their flexible care plan and help provide care that fits flawlessly with their own lives. That goal is born out of a genuine desire to provide exceptional care, make a real difference to the lives of our clients, and set Sylvian apart from other care providers by going the extra mile each and every day.

The team at Sylvian have many years of experience in care between us and have been providing care for over 6 years, working initially as carers and then in various social care and managerial roles. We take very seriously our role in ensuring the safety and dignity of each of our clients.

Your Care Plan will be developed and agreed to ensure that we all know what we aim to achieve. The Care Plans are not fixed or inflexible. We develop an ‘open’ Care Plan that means that our clients can choose what they want to do, and how and when they want to do it. We take on the daily responsibilities of providing care and ensuring that our clients remain safe and secure. We enable partners and families to spend time together enjoying the activities that they choose whilst we take care of the necessary daily duties and tasks.

Our carers provide more than just Live-In Care – we know the small touches, from providing manicures and arranging hairdressing, accompanying the client to medical appointments as well as encouraging the client to assist in cooking favourite meals, organising outdoor trips, make all the difference to our clients and to the quality and fullness of their lives. We offer complete flexibility for our clients and their families and tailor all that we do to meet individual needs.

Your Carer will not only provide personal care but can also prepare meals, undertake light housework tasks like ironing, hovering, dusting as well as administering medication and shopping.

If you are thinking of care for yourself or someone close to you for the first time, or are unhappy with your current care provider, please do get in touch. We welcome the opportunity to talk to you and explore which options will be best suited to your circumstances.