Care and Support at Home - Lot 1

Home Care is the provision of person-centred personal care to improve an Individual's quality of life, enabling them to remain living in their own home and achieve their specified outcomes. Home Care is not about doing things for people in a way that increases dependency, but about supporting people to do things for themselves as far as they are able. Home Care should be seen as an opportunity to build on the Individual's skills and confidence to improve their independence and not as a long-term solution where possible. Home Care Services will be available 7am to 10pm seven (7) days per week, fifty-two (52) weeks of the year including public holidays. Providers are required to offer flexibility of timing to reflect a person-centred approach to the provision of services and not only based on Provider availability. The Provider will have systems in place to respond to referrals received at weekends and bank holidays, and for Care and Support Packages to commence at weekends and bank holidays, with staff available to carry out risk assessments etc. to ensure prompt service delivery. The Provider will be committed to delivering Services and will not terminate the delivery of the Call-Off Agreement where the Individual's outcomes are still unmet without agreement with the Commissioners. The Provider must ensure that the Individual is able to achieve and maintain a maximum level of independence and self-care. As such, the Provider will adopt policies that support a principle of empowering support to ensure that Provider staff do not foster Individual dependency. The Provider will deliver services at short notice to provide additional support if the Individual is in a crisis, including out of hours. The Provider will ensure that all policies and procedures are current, with staff understanding and applying their content in practice. The Provider is required to ensure that Individuals are supported to achieve the broad outcomes listed in the Service Specification (Section 5) and all personal outcomes agreed in the Care and Support Plan or the Health outcome plan. Home Care will be used to enable Individuals to live as independently as possible, and with dignity; it should not be done to the Individual but with the Individual. Providers will adopt a Strengths-Based approach to achieve this. The Home Care provision's approach is one of adaptability, regular reviews and change to meet needs. Home Care should not automatically be seen as being for life but should aim to create independency jointly with Individuals and to reduce levels of care depending on eligibility and outcomes that is proportionate and safe.