Nurse-led live-in home care

At The Good Care Group, we believe that people who require specialist care at home will enjoy an improved quality of life through improved health outcomes, with as much independence as possible in their own home with high-quality live-in care and support. We know how important it is for people to retain choice and control in life, and for many the desire to remain in their own home and community is essential to maintaining their overall health and wellbeing.

Most people believe if they need specialist care, they will have to move from their much-loved home into a nursing home. However, it is widely recognised that receiving nurse-led care at home from a reputable, trusted and expert home care provider can have far reaching benefits for someone needing complex care. Our professional carers are specially trained to provide delegated healthcare tasks usually undertaken by a qualified healthcare professional, as well as being able to support specific needs depending on the client. This means you can stay in the comfort and familiarity of your own home with all the medical and holistic support you need, and all on a one-to-one basis – something even the very best nursing home cannot provide.

Expert nurse-led care at home with our specialist service

Our nurse-led service for those living with complex medical needs is led, developed and supported by our in-house Consultant Admiral Nurse, Dr Jane Pritchard. It forms part of our Specialist Care Service offer which sees our Consultant Admiral Nurse working very closely with our Occupational Therapist to share expertise and clinical skills to enable our care teams to deliver high quality, specialist care at home.

Jane has a wealth of nursing expertise having been a dementia care nurse for nearly 20 years. She provides clinical insight, assessments, home visit consultations and liaison with medical professionals to those receiving our private home care service, as well as providing much-needed emotional support to their families at what can be a difficult time. Jane will manage speedy and successful hospital discharge and will support the transition to care at home, providing practical and informed advice to families that really makes a difference.

Furthermore, Jane provides support and bespoke training sessions for our professional carers and care managers, so that they can provide the right type of care for our clients who have complex care needs.

“I am delighted to be part of this team who are committed to enabling people to live well at home. Our approach to preventative healthcare has enhanced well-being and quality of life for many with complex conditions.”

Dr Pritchard, Consultant Nurse

What is nurse-led care?

Nurse-led care is clinical care provided to an individual to support them through illness to improve their overall health and wellbeing. Nurse-led care is delivered by a specially trained carer and overseen by an experienced clinician, who is a registered nurse. There are a number of delegated health care tasks that with the right training, support and medical equipment can be delivered by a professional carer providing nurse-led care at home.

Private nurse-led care includes:

  • Monitoring a person’s health and recording its progress
  • Recording medical history and symptoms
  • Managing and administering medications and treatments
  • Collaborating and liaising with other health and social care professionals involved in a person’s care to deliver a multi-disciplinary approach to improving health outcomes
  • Educating about management of illness
  • Providing support and advice to those affected by ill health

What are delegated health care tasks?

Delegated health care tasks are clinical tasks provided to an individual to support them through illness to improve their overall health and well-being. There are a number of tasks a nurse will usually undertake, that with the right training, support and medical equipment, can be delivered by a professional carer, enabling people to continue to receive care at home.

The sorts of delegated health care tasks our professional carers are able to manage at home include: 

  • Care of a stoma 
  • Urostomy care
  • Catheter flushing 
  • Managing a PEG 
  • Administering insulin via an insulin pen 
  • Blood sugar monitoring
  • Overseeing and delivering exercise plans

Nurse-led support for end-of-life care

The highly-personalised and flexible nurse-led support we provide those with life-limiting illness or for those living with a terminal condition  has been proven to improve quality of life well beyond simply meeting a person’s care needs, and that these improvements can be seen wherever that person is in their care journey.

Our trained professional carers, who are supported by our in-house Consultant Admiral Nurse, are focused on supporting our clients to make their own decisions and help ensure that these are respected, whilst effectively managing symptoms right to the very end of life. Our approach to providing high-quality palliative care at home, with a fully-managed and regulated service that families can trust,  sets the standards in live-in care for those who are nearing, or at, the end-of-life.

Our approach to end-of-life care is aligned to the principles set out by Dr Kathryn Mannix, an experienced palliative care consultant and author. Our care teams have been trained by Dr Mannix and her work is used to equip them with the skills and confidence to sensitively encourage courageous conversations with our clients and their loved ones about the dying process as early in care planning as reasonably possible.This is so important for ensuring a plan of care is in place which respects each individual’s wishes and preferences. 

Our training materials for professional carers have been endorsed by Dr Mannix, and form a mandatory part of every carers’ induction training before being placed with a client.

This approach has seen us reduce anxiety and emotional upset for individual’s living with terminal or life-limited illness, but also for families, who are reassured that the right plan of care is in place, in good time for their loved one.

Pet-care

Why choose The Good Care Group for nurse-led care?

Innovative care technology

facilitating-social-arrangementsUnlike any other live-in care provider, we have our own online care community which gives loved ones and other healthcare professionals up-to-date information on the care being delivered in a client’s home. It enables more effective monitoring, which means that any issues can be responded to efficiently. For a client’s  family, it provides a reassuring window into the care their loved one is receiving. Our carers also use the online community to share ideas and support each other.  It provides a vital connection which is important when remote working. Carers will use the online community so their clients can enjoy time online, which includes video calls with loved ones, so they feel connected. 

Improving health outcomes

We are committed to improving health outcomes for all of our clients. To do this, we use our digital technology, vigilance from our care managers and carers, and industry-leading training programmes delivered to our carers. This enables us to measure health outcomes and ensure we manage risk effectively, so that the care we provide is the best it can possibly be. Every year, we measure health outcomes across our services, so that we can quantify the improvements made by our dedicated care team, learn from any errors and continue to deliver the ‘Outstanding’ service we are known for.

Unrivalled falls prevention programmes

Our clients are seven times less likely to suffer a serious injury as a result of a fall than residents living in a residential care home. This is a result of our quality one-to-one care - which just cannot be achieved in even the very best care home - and our effective personalised falls management programmes, which is overseen by our in-house Occupational Therapist.

Reducing urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Our professional carers can perform urinalysis tests. This means they can provide accurate and timely information to GPs, enabling a quick diagnosis and treatment. Because of our proactive monitoring, client outcomes are improved; a TGCG client is twice as likely to receive treatment at home for a UTI than to require emergency or hospital treatment when a urine dipstick test is conducted.

A specialist pathway for palliative care at home

It is the wish of many people living with life-limiting illness or terminal conditions to stay in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes until they pass, yet the percentage of people in the general population who can do that is as low as 19%. By comparison, our approach to one-to-one palliative care at home has enabled 79% of our clients to pass away in the place they love most – their own home. 

Effective pressure sore management

Our high-quality home care provided by dedicated and professional carers has seen a significant reduction in pressure ulcers for the second year running - a 6% year-on-year reduction in those we care for. With our one-to-one approach, only 1% of clients develop a pressure ulcer in our care each year, compared to 28% in care home settings.

Avoidance of chest infections

By managing highly effective infection control practices, promoting good health and monitoring proactively for signs of ill health, we have been able to reduce incident rates for chest infections resulting in hospital admission year-on-year. In 2021, we observed a 45% reduction in hospital admissions due to chest infections compared to 2020.

Efficient management of medications

Our digital technology and market-leading training are used proactively to effectively support safe administration of medications, which has seen error rates of less than 2% compared to a 22% error rate in care home settings.

Reducing the use of antipsychotic medication for those living with dementia

managing-and-administering-medicationsThe use of antipsychotic medication to treat dementia symptoms has been increasingly challenged over the last ten years, as they have been shown to be harmful for people living with dementia and are at times prescribed unnecessarily. Our Consultant Admiral Nurse oversees the care of anyone living with dementia who is prescribed antipsychotic medication, with a view to reduce the dosage or removing the medication completely if behaviours are managed correctly by the care team. This has resulted in our clients being four times less likely to be prescribed antipsychotic medication than residents of care homes.

“The service provided by The Good Care Group is professional and driven by the desire to keep the elderly healthier and happier at home. This is valuable to clients and their families, avoiding a move into a care home.”

Dr Moore, Private GP

What does nurse-led care include?

Delegated healthcare tasks

Carers that provide complex care for our clients are specially trained by our team of experts to deliver delegated healthcare tasks - care that would usually be delivered by a trained nurse, occupational therapist or physiotherapist. These nursing tasks enable you to receive nurse-led care at home and include:
companionship-as-and-when-you-need-it

  • Insulin administrationcompanionship-as-and-when-you-need-it
  • Catheter flushing
  • PEG feeding
  • Stoma and urostomy care
  • Blood sugar monitoring
  • Delivering rehabilitation programmes
  • Overseeing prescribed exercise plans

Managing and administering medications

Our professional carers are trained in medications management and use an electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) system - the first of its kind to be designed in-house by a UK live-in care provider - to ensure all medications are managed proactively and effectively. This system provides real time warnings, reminders and visibility to all who are involved in an individual’s care.

Companionship as and when you need it

Our carers will provide companionship whilst ensuring your privacy is respected. We ensure that a well-matched carer shares similar values and interests to make life interesting, stimulating and enjoyable, whilst being there for you to support your emotional and psychological needs.

Providing discreet and sensitive personal care

This can include the practical aspects of caring for someone, like bathing, continence care and getting dressed, but also those that promote self-esteem, like having your make-up applied or maintaining facial hair.

Planning and cooking meals

Meals will be planned and cooked according to your choice, preferences and nutritional needs, all served at a time that suits you. And if you want to get involved with cooking your meals or baking as a pastime, we encourage you to be as active as you wish to be.

Facilitating social arrangements

Your live-in carer will gladly help to organise any social events in your home or assist you to access events in your local community or further afield. Equally, if you prefer time alone with your friends and family, we’ll gladly give you the space you need.

Visits out of the home in your local community

planning-and-cooking-mealsStaying in touch with your local community is important for many of our clients, which is why part of your care can involve getting out and about as much as you wish to. It might be to attend local clubs and day centres, to take a stroll around the park, or attending your place of worship - whatever you want to achieve and continue doing, we'll support you to do so.

Each client is given unique access to The Good Care Group Concierge service which clients, their loved ones and carers can use to plan outings and to seek advice about what’s on locally.

Domestic tasks

Keeping on top of housework is something that many take pride in, which is why our carers will take on these duties for you so that your home is kept to the high standards you are used to. They can ensure the washing up is done, bed sheets are changed regularly and the bins are taken out, as well as collecting your weekly shop and doing your laundry.

Caring for your much-loved pet

Carers will be happy to help you look after your pet - whether you have a cat, dog or feathered friend. They can ensure they are well fed and watered, and clean bedding and given the right exercise they need.

How can nurse-led care be delivered?

We provide our nurse-led care on an ongoing live-in basis or as a short-term respite care service. Both services enable you to receive detailed nurse-led care and support at home, so that you can reside in comfort and familiarity, where you feel safe and happy.

Live-in nurse-led care

With a full time, live-in care arrangement a professional carer will live with you in your home providing around-the-clock nurse-led care and support, focused on improving your overall health and well-being and enhancing the quality of your life. There are many benefits of 24- hour care, not least that the carer will truly get to know you as a person, not just your care needs but they will be on hand to support you to live life the way you wish, with as much independence as possible.

Short-term respite care

Respite care or a short-term care arrangement provide an opportunity for a family carer to take a much needed break from caring for a loved one, or for an individual who is recovering from an illness or spell in hospital and who needs extra support at home for a certain period of time. Respite care is also an ideal way to try out live-in care to see if it suits you and to see how live-in care works. This type of care can be arranged as a one-off package of support or on a pre-planned basis for those who require regular breaks from caregiving.

How much does nurse-led care cost?

Nurse-led care at home offers a viable and often more financially suitable alternative to moving into a nursing home. The cost of live-in care at home is usually the same, if not less, than nursing care in a residential setting, depending on the level of care required. But what cannot be replicated in a nursing home is the one-to-one support and attention you receive from a dedicated live-in carer. We also have the added benefit of having a Specialist Care Service that supports those with more complex healthcare needs, led by an in-house registered nurse and occupational therapist. 

For couples who require nurse-led care, live-in care is much more cost effective than moving into a care home. You will need to pay for a room for each of you if you move into a care home, therefore doubling your cost of care; whereas live-in home care will only incur a small additional charge for the second person. There is also the added benefit of continuing to live in the home you know and love together without being separated, with contact with loved ones whenever you choose. 

Live-in care is an all-inclusive service, with everything included in the final cost. Choosing domiciliary care for nursing care can sometimes exceed live-in care costs. This is because many domiciliary care providers do not have access to in-house specialist care professionals to support with complex care needs, and you may therefore have to pay extra for additional nursing care from elsewhere.For a bespoke quote for live-in nurse-led care, call our friendly client services team or complete an enquiry form and they will be in touch.

Funding for nurse-led care at home

If you require specialist care at home for a complex health need, you may be entitled to NHS Continued Healthcare (NHS CHC) funding, which can pay for all or some of the costs of your care. To receive this funding, your needs will need to be assessed by your local Integrated Care Board (ICB), who decides whether you are eligible for additional support and if you have a ‘primary health need’.

To begin the process, you will need to have an initial assessment completed by your GP and sent to your local ICB. You will then be required to complete a more detailed assessment with a team of healthcare professionals, who will find out more about your care needs and any conditions you are living with, along with how severe your needs are and how unpredictable they can be. Once a decision is made about the level of support you require, you will be notified by the ICB.If funding is successful, it will be provided via a personal health budget, which enables you to make decisions about the care you wish to have.

If you are successful in securing funding, it is worth noting that funding is reviewed by the ICB annually, so if your needs decrease because you are receiving good quality care your funding may be at risk and you may have to start funding the total cost of your care.

If you are required to contribute to paying for your care solely or in addition to NHS funding, there are several options you can consider:

Find out more about financing your care here.

Nurse-led care FAQs

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Content reviewed by Dr Jane Pritchard 31 July 2023

Dr Jane Pritchard is a consultant Admiral Nurse who specialises in the care and support of those living with dementia. She is a registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council specialising in mental health. She has over 20 years' experience working in care and has authored several publications on dementia care.

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