A study examined the views and experiences of front line workers in domiciliary care. Home carers were invited to take part in small discussion groups to exchange ideas about the values and standards that guided them in their work; the status of the job that they did; and the significance of training or other factors in enhancing that status and their capacity to do the job well.
Source: Judy Robison, Consulting Home Carers: Exploration of views about quality and values, and the status of domiciliary care, Quinn Centre (023 8023 7069)
Links: Community Care article
Date: 2003-Jul
A survey of the domiciliary care market found an increasing polarisation of independent sector providers into large businesses that focused on local authority contracts and smaller businesses that concentrated on serving individual self-paying consumers.
Source: Philip Mickelborough, Domiciliary Care Markets 2003, Laing & Buisson (020 7833 9123)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Jun
A study examined the age-related housing and domiciliary care and support requirements of older people in Wales. It said that the ageing population would pose many challenges in coming decades. The trend for local authorities to transfer their residential care homes to voluntary or private sector bodies seemed likely to continue because of the high costs of refurbishment to meet rising standards.
Source: The Age Related Housing and Domiciliary Care and Support Requirements of Older People in Wales, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 3353)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jun
Statistics were published on home care services purchased or provided by councils with social services responsibilities in England, for a survey week in September 2002. An estimated 2.98 million contact hours were provided to around 366,800 households (or 381,900 clients). Compared with 2001, this represented an increase in the number of contact hours of 3 per cent and a fall in the number of households receiving home care of 4 per cent. This suggested that councils were providing more intensive services for a smaller number of service users, continuing the trend seen over the previous 10 years.
Source: Community Care Statistics 2002: Home Care Services for Adults - England, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: DH press release
Date: 2003-Mar
The government published minimum standards for domiciliary care agencies. The need for domiciliary care staff to undergo criminal record checks before starting work was omitted.
Source: Domiciliary Care: National Minimum Standards/Regulations, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Standards (pdf) | Regulations (pdf) | Community Care article
Date: 2003-Jan
From 31 January 2003, all state-regulated private welfare agencies were able to exempt their welfare services, including home care, from value-added tax. This meant that around 60,000 sick, elderly and disabled people will no longer have to pay VAT on their home care costs.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Oral Answers 27.2.03, column 399, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard
Date: 2003-Jan