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Improving support to stay at home in Hampshire

Hampshire County Council has selected the care agencies it wants to work with to improve home care services and the employment conditions for staff who deliver that support to 6,000 residents.The new Hampshire Care at Home service being introduced later this year will offer people greater control over how, and when their care, is delivered. This could include helping people to learn or relearn techniques that will help enable greater independence, exploring what support is available through family and the community, or putting in place equipment or systems such as Telecare. People will also have their care reviewed more regularly to ensure any changes in need are adapted to.To achieve these changes the County Council is reducing the number of providers it works with to create closer working relationships. The 11 successful providers, of which Mears Care is one, will receive sufficient business to allow them to invest in service quality and offer better rates of pay and training for their staff.In The Fareham and Gosport Area the agencies that have been selected are Mears Care Ltd and AQS Homecare. In the Havant and Petersfield area Mears Care Ltd and Guinness Care & Support Ltd have been selected.The total value of contracts that can be called off the new framework will be up to £585m over seven years.Councillor Liz Fairhurst Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health said: "Most people want to remain in their own home and this is where we are seeing the greatest increase in demand for care services. By redesigning services that support people to stay at home we will be able to encourage greater independence and resilience, helping to improve people's quality of life and reduce early take up of residential or nursing care."Our new approach will not only help us to improve care at home for those who receive it but will also benefit the hardworking staff who deliver it. There are many agencies that are currently paying above the minimum wage, paying mileage and offering excellent training. We want this to become the standard, which is why the successful agencies will need to demonstrate that they meet these terms."

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