What is the difference between introductory and managed Live-in care?
A fully managed live-in care agency employ, train and supervise the carers directly. They take complete responsibility for the management of the live-in care service, rather than this being controlled by the customer.
They are regulated and continually assessed by the Care-Quality-Commission (CQC) who inspect the services that are being offered. The Live-in Carers are employed directly by the agencies therefore they are responsible for paying the carers for sick pay, holiday pay, and to make national insurance and pension contributions.
Ivy Palmer is classified by the Care Quality Commission as an introduction agency further to the Social Care Act 2008. We introduce matched carers to you from our large network and it is you who chooses who you would like to hire instead of a carer just being assigned to you. You employ the carer directly and control what it is you want the carer to do for you, it is our job to support you by finding the best carer we can for you to hire. The carers are self-employed, they are frequently more aware of the need to offer a better service to you because if you do not like them then you wont choose to have them look after you in the future. You have more direct control and the care is by nature more person centred rather than being all organised centrally by people in an office far away.
What are the key benefits of an introductary care agency?
Choice of care
Customer’s choose the support of a living in carer based on thier preferences. Each customer and their families have access to a 24 hour on call service and a large network of Live in Carers to choose from.
Responsibility
The customer employs the carer directly therefore all responsibilities associated with the care sits directly with you and your carer. The Live in Carer is responsable to you and your needs. Changes happen quickly it is you who measures if you are satisfied with the carer rather than other people who are not in the home or as close to the situation as you are.
Introductory Live-in care agencies
Introductory agencies are live in care agencies that introduce Live-in carers to the customer. The Live-in carers work on a self-employed basis, will organise their own tax affairs and will get paid more money than if they work directly for a care provider. We find that more experienced carers prefer this model and it is more sustainable for them and you, which mean they are happier to stay with one client for longer rather than being moved around a lot by a direct care provider.
Introductory care services are often cheaper than fully managed Live-in care service. However it is important to note that with this model the family is legally in a direct contract with the live in carer and so are in full control of the service. You’ll need to take on cerain responsibilities as an employer as are directly responsible for paying the carer. This means you’ll have to think about tax, salary, sickness and holiday pay, pension, and liability insurance. However, our carers frequently use a professional service for this so that all you do is make one payment and we can organise that everything is done without any work from you.
Is a managed service or an introduction service better for me?
It really depends on your own situation. If the customer is vulnerable, or has complex care needs and by themselves with no family nearby then a fully managed service might be the better option.
Managed services are normally more expensive. They are inspected regularly by the Care Quality Commission and closely monitor and provide ongoing training for the carers. Introductory live-in care agencies are not under the remit of the care quality commission as they are not acting as a provider of care. Managed care services have higher central costs because of this, higher insurance costs and more office staff that you may not need if you are happy to do just a little bit of the work yourself.
Below we show the differences between the service types to help guide you.
Introductory Live-in Care Agency |
V |
Managed Live In Care Agency |
| The customer is in full control of the Carer directly and decides what and how needs to be done | V | Live-In Care Provider employs, trains and manages the Carer. They can move the carer around or not offer you choices. They can be slower to change how care is delivered |
| Not regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) | V | Regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as so incur greater costs that are passed to you |
| Customer manages the Care | V | The care has to be delivered in a framework that might not please you |
| Pay for the services you use | V | Paying for the central costs of more complex organisational needs |
At Ivy Palmer we are an introductory live in care agency. To find out more about our Live in care or just to chat informanlly – please call today or email: hello@iphomecare.co.uk
