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UKHCA receives hundreds of calls to its helpline each week. Below is a selection of some of the questions we receive. You will need your username and password to view the answers, if you have lost this information you can request your username and password.
For easier navigation we have grouped our FAQs under several headings. Please select the group you wish to review:
Is there a legal requirement always to have at least two members of staff operating a user's hoist?
Our local authority is varying the terms of its current contracts to specify 15 minute care visits. Our contract is up for renewal soon - what can we do?
Do you have a contract for people paying for their own care?
Can we include an administration fee in our service user contract that would be charged if a contract is cancelled by the user very soon after it is put in place?
A direct payment user owes us money because they did not increase payment when the council extended the package. What should we do?
Where can I find statistics to help me negotiate with my local authority? They don't want to give us an increase this year.
It has come to light that an employee is currently under police investigation for allegations of theft and the abuse of a service user. The police have refused to share information with us. We have suspended the employee on full pay and employed another care worker to cover his work. Can I now suspend on no pay until the outcome of the police investigation?
Updated July 2019
What are the rules about employing workers aged 16 and 17 in homecare?
We are an introductory agency, and introduce workers who are generally self-employed. Do you have guidance on when a worker is viewed as the employee of the service user?
A district nurse left a note in a user's care plan instructing our care workers to apply dressings and carry out blood sugar tests. What shall we do?
Can a careworker leave medication out in a pot for a service user to take later? Our policy does not allow care workers to prompt a service user to take tablets from a pot someone else has filled.
I'm waiting for my annual inspection and the Inspector has asked me to provide him with the names and addresses of all my service users and staff. Can CQC do this and would I be breaching the Data Protection Act by giving him the lists?
We are an Introductory Agency in England and wonder if we need to continue to be registered with the Care Quality Commission? We have an ongoing relationship with our clients but do not employ the care workers that are registered with us.
When do we need to notify the CQC of a service user's death?
We are to receive a visit from HMRC who want to check our minimum wage compliance. How should we prepare for this?
What legislation governs the registration of care providers with the Care Inspectorate in Scotland?
I have received a regulator's inspection report that is factually incorrect. My inspector has agreed to make some changes, but these are not enough and soon the report will be publicly available. Update: July 2019
Our careworkers are unwilling to go to a service user's home as the street has a reputation for being unsafe and they are worried about their personal safety. This is a council contract.
Updated: July 2019
Should we be using a thermometer to take water temperature when bathing a service user in their own home
Do you have a risk assessment template?
Is there anything that we should bear in mind when taking service users out of the home on outings?
Do care workers need to have motor insurance business cover to do their job and should employers pay for this?
The family of one of our service users is, with her agreement, installing CCTV so they can keep an eye on her. Should the user display a notice in her home warning visitors?
I run a domiciliary care agency. Do I have to register for data protection purposes?
We are thinking about expanding from daily homecare into live-in care at the service user’s home. What should we consider?
Is VAT chargeable on practical support services we provide?
I have lost a block contract with a local authority. The authority didn't accept my tender and gave the contract to an agency outside the borough. Can they do that?
Update: July 2019
We are a relatively new homecare agency. Should we join the local authority approved provider list?
Can I use the testimonials of service users in our marketing material?
Please can you advise whether we should take photos of our clients to keep in their files/care plans?
What document checks should we carry out of our workers’ vehicles, where they use personal vehicles for work?
I am based in England and want to re-organise my trading status by moving my agency to a new company. Are there any reasons why I should think twice about doing it?