Personal Care

Personal Care is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and so, if you or your loved one needs help with getting up washed and dressed, including toileting and hoisting, Gracious Care can offer the help needed. Our staff have the training to deliver those services to the highest standards.

Whether a full time live-in service is required or the customer can manage once he or she is dressed, we can make the difference between remaining in familiar surroundings and needing to transfer to a care home.

The actual care plan is devised to fit the needs of the individual but to give an idea of what might be possible we've outlined a typical morning visit:

Our staff member (occasionally, two are required for more complex needs) will arrive and bring you a reviving cuppa which you can drink whilst reading the paper or catching the news. By the time you've caught the headlines the bathroom can be warm and ready for you. We'll help with toileting if that's difficult for you. If it's not immediately convenient to bath, shower, wash and dress you, your Gracious Care assistant will tackle other agreed tasks in the meantime. Breakfast and any medication might then be prepared and again, depending on the time available and the tasks still to be done, we encourage our staff to take 5 mins for a chin-wag over a cuppa. This helps establish a good relationship between the customer and the staff and is highly beneficial to the  physical and mental well-being of the customer. The visit might conclude with the preparation of a sandwich and mid-day medication for lunchtime.

For some customers, a lunchtime visit may be required, perhaps to help with toileting needs etc. Others might just need a call in the evening to help with dinner, a hot drink, medication and preparing for bed.

We make use of the latest technology to help to ensure that our care service is provided for our clients at the arranged time. Smartphone technology makes this possible. Our staff are provided with an 'app' which gives details of the service to be provided, the times booked and any special requirements for that visit.

Any appropriate notes are also recorded by our staff using the 'app'. Any changes in the customer's needs or circumstances are communicated with and monitored in our offices. Perhaps, for example, the taking of additional medication is to be supervised, or maybe there is a need for temporary suspension of our service whilst our customer has a spell in hospital. This then can be reflected in efficient changes to the rota and speedy notification and discussion of the new requirements with the customer or family.