Frequently Asked Questions

Your Caregiver will contact you by telephone in the first instance. This is your opportunity to get to know each other and decide if you want to proceed. Care and Choice can help you prepare for this phone conversation by going through a list of suggested questions and helping you decide what you want from your Caregiver.

There are some specific points that you will need to clarify with your Caregiver during this call, such as how long you want your Caregiver to stay with you, what hours they will need to work and when you want them to start. We also recommend that you find out how they will be travelling to your home and agree the travel costs involved as well as agreeing your Caregiver’s rate of pay.

By using Care and Choice you can rest assured that we have carried out extensive background checks on our Caregivers, taken up and verified all references and met with each one of them personally — so you don’t have to.

However, if you would like to meet your Caregiver prior to the start of your booking — and we fully understand if you do — it will depend on the availability of your desired Caregiver and on their existing work schedule and the distance involved. If your desired Caregiver has to travel a significant distance, we recommend that you cover the costs of their journey to meet you.

Trust is so important. We understand that you are inviting someone you are not familiar with to live with you in your home and be responsible for your care. We take this very seriously. At Care and Choice, we will only introduce you to the highest quality Caregivers who are best suited to you. We choose them with the utmost care and include extensive background checks before sharing them with you (see choosing our caregivers).

We will have discussed your individual and personal care requirements when creating your profile and will have shared this with your Caregiver.

Every Caregiver we introduce to you will attend to all of your personal care needs and will be able to carry out basic responsibilities like cooking and cleaning. If you specify that you want a Caregiver who will assist you on trips out of the home, you can expect your Caregiver to fulfil that role.

At all times, you can expect your Caregiver to be caring, considerate, polite and professional. We want their presence in your home to put your mind at ease and reassure your family that you are in safe hands.

Your Caregiver will have read your profile and will be aware of the help you need. They would expect any finer details or specific requirements to have been discussed during the introductory call. Your Caregiver will expect board and lodging which should include their own room, with a comfortable bed and three meals a day.

Care and Choice Limited is an introductory agency. We will help you find a suitable Caregiver and arrange an introduction. We will contact you during the time your Caregiver is with you to ensure that you are satisfied with the introduction and introduce an alternative if necessary.

Caregivers introduced to provide live-in services undertake their role on an unmeasured work basis, managed with a daily average hours agreement (for the purpose of the Working Time Regulations 1998 and the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999).

Care and Choice will have agreed with you the estimated number of hours the Caregiver will be expected to work in a day. In doing this we can ensure that they receive at least the minimum wage.

We would suggest that you allow your Caregiver a daily rest break of two hours at a mutually agreed time. It is sometimes more convenient for the Client and Caregiver to accrue the time-off hours and take it when family or friends visit. If this is the case, the amount of time off in total should equate to 14 hours a week.

One of the main benefits of choosing live-in care is that you have someone on hand to help you when you need it. Most of our Caregivers will be prepared to get up in the night if you need them, but it is generally assumed that they are there for emergency and security. If you are likely to need 24-hour support for an extended period, we can discuss whether a night sitter might be appropriate.

We understand that situations change and there may be circumstances when you will need to cancel your booking. Once you have selected your Caregiver and have agreed the dates, Care and Choice will send a confirmation of the booking to both parties. This is now an agreement between the Client and the Caregiver.

Should you need to cancel the booking for any reason, costs may be incurred. Wherever possible we will find alternative work for the Caregiver; however if this is within 7 days of the start date of the booking this may not be possible. In these circumstances we would ask that the Caregiver be paid for the first 7 days of the booking. The Client may also be asked to reimburse any travel expenses that the Caregiver may have already incurred. In all cases we will liaise with both parties to find a mutually agreeable solution.

Please see our Terms and Conditions of Business for more information.

If things aren’t working out with your Caregiver during their time with you, please contact Care and Choice and we will be happy to help you find an alternative. Your Caregiver will expect to be paid for any time they have spent with you. Care and Choice will invoice accordingly.

You do not need to take out any special insurance for the period of time that your Caregiver is with you. You should, however, ensure that your normal household contents insurance includes public liability cover. Please speak to your current insurance supplier.

At Care and Choice we recommend that all our Caregivers take out their own Public Liability Insurance. Details of specialist insurance cover can be found at:
Surewise Insurance — Personal Assistant & Carers Insurance
and: Fish Insurance — Carer and Employer Insurance

Please note that these companies are listed for information only and we cannot recommend an insurance provider.

Registration with Care and Choice is free.

Caregivers are self-employed and are responsible for their own Tax and National Insurance. The daily rate is agreed between the Caregiver and Client and generally is between £128 and £160 a day, depending on the level of care, number of people being cared for in the home and the average daily hours.

Care and Choice charge for each introduction at £150 a week plus VAT.

You will have agreed with Care and Choice and your Caregiver during the introductory call the amount they will expect to be paid and how often. These details will be confirmed on your booking confirmation. Generally Caregivers are paid at the end of the booking and will submit an invoice for you. Some Caregivers may ask to be paid weekly.

Please note that while your payments to your Caregiver will be free of VAT, our invoices will be subject to VAT.

We would suggest that you pay your Caregiver by direct bank transfer. We would not recommend that you pay them in cash.

Once you have selected your Caregiver and have agreed to go ahead, Care and Choice will charge for each introduction depending on the length of the booking. As a service, the Care and Choice agency fee is liable for VAT. You can pay this invoice by bank transfer.

The Caregiver’s return travel expenses are met by the Client — this amount should be discussed and agreed with the Caregiver before the booking is confirmed.

Board and lodging: we would ask that the Caregiver has access to their own bedroom with a comfortable bed and space to keep a few clothes while they are with you. A separate bathroom and TV are not necessary, however many Caregivers now request Wi-Fi. We would also ask that the Caregiver is provided with three meals a day during their stay.

Most of our Caregivers will be prepared to get up in the night if you need them, but it is generally assumed that they are there for emergency and security. If you do need help they can make a small extra charge for night calls — we suggest these are limited to a maximum of two calls a night. If further calls are likely, we can discuss whether a night sitter might be appropriate.

Caregivers will charge double on a statutory bank holiday.

If your care needs increase, we may have to introduce an alternative Caregiver and their charges may differ.