Future home care provision in Kingston

Healthwatch Kingston undertook research on the future provision of home care services in Kingston. They spoke to 47 people at two engagement events and received 46 survey responses from home care users, carers, friends, advocates and care workers to gather views on proposed changes to home care and the introduction of new Wellbeing Teams. 

Participants valued home care and felt it was essential for maintaining independence, but highlighted concerns about inconsistent service quality, poor communication, carers arriving late, difficulty contacting agencies out of hours and frequent changes of care workers. Many stressed the importance of continuity, reliable support and having carers with strong communication skills. Loneliness and social isolation were recurring themes, with people emphasising the value of companionship, social activities and support to access community services. 

Survey respondents strongly supported a more flexible and person-centred approach to care. Most agreed that care workers should be able to vary the time they spend with people according to need, agree support plans with service users, help people access community support, share important information with other professionals and undertake a wider range of support tasks. Participants also wanted care workers to have time for conversation, support with exercise and rehabilitation, help attending appointments and assistance with medication and meal preparation. 

Healthwatch Kingston concluded that future home care services should be centred around individual goals, needs and preferences. The report recommended involving people and carers more closely in decisions about support, improving access to information about local services and community groups, helping people make informed choices about their care, and regularly gathering feedback to improve the quality and suitability of home care services.