In summer 2020 South Tyneside Council introduced a new model of home care with services provided by four private providers, each allocated an area.
The operators and the areas they cover are:
- Cera Homecare
- Dale Care
- Springfield Homecare Services
- Human Support Group
The services offered can include domiciliary care, dementia support, respite care, live-in care, end-of-life care, practical support and companionship.
Healthwatch South Tyneside is currently contacting 200 users of home care services – 50 in each zone – on behalf of the borough council to conduct a survey over the phone or arrange its completion online or via post.
Questions range from timekeeping to the quality of care and treatment, time allocated to visits, how easy it is to contact the care agency and details of any issues experienced.
The next phase will see Healthwatch survey staff who deliver the home care services on behalf of the four firms, and ask them to give their feedback on their role and the support they receive to deliver it.
Staff are being asked to complete a short online survey which can be accessed here.
The survey for users of the home care service can be completed here. Please note – we only require feedback on the four named providers.
Healthwatch will analyse the survey findings and produce a report for South Tyneside Council with recommendations based on any common issues raised by service users.
