Frequently Asked Questions

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It can be a daunting experience trying to deal with the number of issues and questions when either you or family group determine you need more support, help or care at home.

There are a number of choices you can make - but often the most attractive choice from both a practical and cost viewpoint is to choose to have the needed cost package provided in your own home.

Gabriel’s Angels can give you all the information, help and support you need to help understand what is involved, but it is sometimes helpful to give you an insight on the most frequently asked questions that we do get:

In short anybody can access home care services! It does not normally require NHS assessment or to be recommended or ordered by a GP. It is all about whatever the need of the individual may or what family members may want on the individual’s behalf.

The need for home care services can differ quite considerably – it can range from those needing company to ward off loneliness, needing shopping, cooking etc and other basic household work, providing respite care support for family members, recovery from a hospital stay - right through to more involved specialist care such as dementia, other mental health problems or physical/mobility issues.

The most important point to emphasise is that we can provide the right care package matched to the level of care needed and the most suitable carer in terms of training and experience to provide that care.

This is an easy question - but there are quite a few answers! We would normally recommend that one of Care Managers sits down and goes through the options. Most domiciliary care provision is normally provided through private funding such as savings, or family sponsorship in some form. The important point to emphasise initially it is not a case of quoting by the hour etc – this may be an outcome, but the focus has to be what is the most appropriate care package, securely and professionally delivered by our high-quality trained carers.

This is best handled during the initial discussion and meeting with one of our Care Managers who can advise the most appropriate way to fund the care package needed.

You will have a lot of questions to ask – this is entirely natural! We normally start the process by getting one of our specialist Care Managers to directly meet with the client and/or the family members and this gives the opportunity to get into real detail about needs. From this we can suggest the right package of care and support to meet those needs – often we find that there are considerations that come to light which are not always thought about initially.

A vital question. At Gabriel’s Angel this at the very core of the way we work. We pride ourselves on the standard of care we deliver to our clients – our reviews and official Care Quality Commission (CQC) will confirm this.

Our carers are trained to the highest standard in accordance with regulatory standards and beyond; in fact, Gabriel’s Angels has one of the best care training facilities in our area to ensure this. All of our carers are enhanced DBS [CRB] checked - and all are directly employed by us – no agency staff are used.

We do have rigorous carer selection process – this is not just the carer’s practical skills and competencies but also the fact that they live by the Gabriel’s Angels ethos of having a real passion for caring for people. We have found that many of our clients find this as the most important factor in staying loyal with Gabriel’s Angels.

Yes of course. During the initial consultations with our Care Manager, we like to get to know you – not just about the care you need, but your likes, dislikes, what interests you have etc. This helps us to narrow down the potential carers who we think will form a good relationship with you going forward. In this phase the Care Manager will introduce the carer to you so you can determine whether you want them to be selected for you.

We try as far as is possible to retain the same carer for you, but obviously there will be times due to holidays, sickness etc when occasionally a replacement will be selected but you would of course be advised prior to that carer arriving - and you would have previously met them.

Following the initial Care Manager visits and assessment – we would normally be able to start the care package within a few days after that.

And of course, you will always be able to contact our Care Managers to deal with any problem that may arise and they will regularly be in contact to ensure that everything is running to your satisfaction.

No, definitely not, the only reason you would need to go into a residential home is if you choose to do so. We work in close partnership with your GP, District Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists etc and all of the equipment you would need at in your own home if you become immobile is provided free of charge. This equipment is the same as you would find in a residential home.

Gabriel’s Angels provide compassionate daily and live-in dementia care to assist clients and loved ones at any stage of the condition, all in the comfort of your own home.

All our carers receive in-depth training beyond industry requirement to support someone with dementia. From the early stages of memory loss, right through to the advanced stages of all types of dementia, we will tailor a personalised care plan to ensure that you and your loved ones feel safe, secure, and happy.

Whether you’re looking for someone to regularly check in on your loved one and help with daily tasks, or if you need a continuous live-in carer to ensure security and safety around the clock, our carers can support a multitude of needs – whatever they may be.

We find that are in the home (domiciliary care) would normally be preferable to our clients in most instances. We find our prospective clients normally have a preference to be in the comfort, privacy, and familiarity of their own homes, with their memories, treasured items and keeping an independent lifestyle and routine. Our well-trained care staff will assess the client’s situation going forward on an ongoing basis – and if circumstances need changing then we can discuss with appropriate family members and advise the best course of action.

There is of course the flexibility of adapting domiciliary care requirements to suit not only the needs of the client - but also family and friends who often have a part to play. This can also be a more inexpensive option that goes with the flexibility that care in the home can give as opposed to a residential care home setting.