What is Home Care Service?
Home care (also called homecare services, or domiciliary care) is a person-centred personal support and/or clinical care delivered in a person’s own home so they can continue living safely and comfortably with the needed professional support. Home care includes support with everyday tasks like bathing, cooking, shopping, dressing, and companionship. It can also consist of skilled clinical care (if needed), such as nursing, therapy and wound care.
Home care for people needing complex care relies on good commissioning, qualified care teams, and the right support and oversight. It can improve quality of life, maintain independence, reduce hospital readmissions and improve physical health outcomes.
Read more about what you should expect from 24-hour home care providers during your needs assessment.
What Do Home Care Services Cover?
Based on people’s needs, home care covers two groups of care: Personal care (domiciliary care or non-clinical home care services) and clinical care (home health care). As we have already mentioned, the primary focus of personal care is everyday living tasks and social support. In contrast, the clinical home support includes skilled medical or therapeutic support and interventions.
Clinical Care Services
This is usually prescribed by a doctor or nurse and provided by regulated health professionals:
- Nursing care: wound dressing, pressure-area care, injections, IV therapy, catheter or stoma care, post-operative monitoring.
- Medication management: complex drug regimens, insulin injections, controlled drugs.
- Rehabilitation therapies: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy at home.
- Monitoring & assessments: vital signs, blood draws, ongoing clinical reviews.
- Specialist support: for long-term conditions (diabetes, respiratory, neurological), ventilator or tracheostomy care.
- Palliative / end-of-life care at home: pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support.
Personal Care
- Daily living activities (ADLs): bathing, showering, grooming, dressing, toileting, continence care.
- Mobility support: transfers, walking assistance, hoists or mobility aids.
- Meal preparation & feeding support: planning, cooking, and, if needed, assistance with eating.
- Medication prompts or assistance (but not usually injections or complex administration unless trained staff).
- Household tasks: light cleaning, laundry, bed changing, and shopping.
- Companionship and social activities: conversation, accompanying to appointments, and community activities.
- Short-term respite: giving family carers a break.
- Live-in or 24-hour support: a support worker living at the property to provide continuous support.
Practical Support
Practical support comes when people need assistance in performing household tasks. The tasks are agreed upon in an individual care plan created and delivered by highly trained support workers and a therapy team.
What Personal Care at Home Delivers:
- Household tasks – light cleaning, tidying, washing up, changing bed linen, doing laundry, putting the bins out.
- Meal support – planning meals, shopping for food, preparing meals, assisting with eating and drinking when needed.
- Medication prompts – reminding or assisting the person to take prescribed tablets, applying simple creams (not complex medical procedures unless staff are trained).
- Arranging and attending appointments – booking GP or hospital appointments, escorting to community groups, hairdresser, etc.
- Paperwork and communication support – reading mail, filling simple forms, making phone calls under the person’s direction.
- Safety checks – making sure doors/windows are secure, fridge/freezer temperatures are safe, spotting hazards.
- Support for family carers – respite breaks so family carers can fully rest, plus advice on routines.
Companionship
While providing companionship, especially for dementia care, it’s all about social and emotional well-being. The activities are person-centred and based on what the person enjoys and loves the most.
- Regular visits/social contact – friendly conversations, sharing a cup of tea or a meal, reading, playing games or doing puzzles.
- Emotional support – listening, encouragement, alleviating loneliness, supporting mental well-being.
- Hobbies and interests – gardening together, arts and crafts, baking, music, gentle exercise or walks.
- Accompaniment outside the home – social events, religious services, community events, day trips, shopping or appointments (transport plus social support).
- Help with technology – assisting with phone calls, video calls, or using tablets to stay in touch with family.
- Routine oversight – noticing changes in mood, appetite or health and reporting concerns to family ot professionals.
- Light practical tasks combined with socialising – preparing a light meal together, tidying while chatting, helping plan the day.
Medication Management
Medication management in home care refers to all the activities involved in ensuring a person takes their prescribed medicines safely, correctly, and on time while at home. The scope of medication management depends on the person’s needs, the carer’s training, and local regulations.
- Medication prompting and reminders – support workers gently encourage the person to take their medicines at the correct time. This is the most common level of support in home care.
- Assistance with self-administration – care teams may help open containers, read labels, prepare doses from blister packs, and hand over tablets with water so the person can take them.
- Administration of medicines by trained staff – when authorised and properly trained, support workers can give tablets, liquids, eye drops, inhalers, creams, patches, suppositories, or injections directly.
- Medication ordering and collection – carers can request repeat prescriptions from the GP or pharmacy, collect medications, and ensure an adequate supply is kept at home.
- Safe storage – medicines are stored securely (especially controlled drugs), expiry dates are checked, and temperature guidelines are followed.
- Recording – each dose prompted or given is documented on a Medication Administration Record (MAR) sheet or electronic log.
- Monitoring and reporting – carers watch for side effects, adverse reactions or missed doses and promptly inform family members, the GP or a community nurse.
- Liaison with healthcare professionals – the home care team communicates with doctors, pharmacists and community nurses about any changes, queries or prescription discrepancies.
Specialist Care
Specialist care refers to supportive care delivered by staff with additional training or qualifications for people with multiple, long-term or high-risk health or support needs.
- Complex medication and clinical procedures include аdministering injections, administering insulin or controlled drugs, мanaging IV lines, feeding PEF/NG tube feeding, catheter and stoma care, tracheostomy or ventilator support, and suctioning.
- Advanced wound and skin care – post-operative dressing changes, pressure-area management and tissue viability monitoring.
- Condition-specific support – Dementia care, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, learning disability with high support needs, autism with sensory/behavioural plans, acquired brain injury.
- Rehabilitation and therapy at home – physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy programmes delivered under professional guidance.
- Positive Behaviour Support and crisis planning – support for people whose behaviour may challenge, staff trained in PBS, de-escalation and restrictive practice reduction.
- Specialist equipment use – hoists, ventilators, specialist seating, pressure-relieving mattresses and staff trained in safe moving and handling.
- Care planning and coordination – close liaison with nurses, GPs, hospital specialists, social workers and family carers.
Who is in Need of Home Care?
People of all ages who experience challenges with daily living, complex health conditions, or mobility issues.
People who may need home care and have their own arrangements include:
- Older adults/seniors – difficulty with bathing, dressing, cooking, reduced mobility, or memory issues.
- People with chronic or long-term health conditions – diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis who require therapy or medication support.
- People recovering from illness, surgery, or hospitalisation – post-operative care, temporary support with daily tasks, or preventing hospital readmissions.
- People with disabilities – physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities
- People requiring palliative or end-of-life care – pain management, emotional and spiritual support, liaison with hospice or community services.
- Carers needing respite support – family or friends providing ongoing care who need temporary relief.
- Anyone facing short-term practical needs – temporary difficulties due to injury, illness, or pregnancy.
The Different Types of Home Care
Home care is about helping a loved one live safely and comfortably at home. Everyone’s needs differ, so there isn’t just one kind of home care. It can be as simple as having a carer visit a few hours a week to help with daily tasks, or as full as having specialist support or a live-in carer for people in more complex medical or personal situations with multiple needs.
There are several types of home care, and each one is designed for a different situation.
Hourly or Visiting Care
Also called intermittent care, carers visit at scheduled times to provide support for a few hours daily.
What it covers:
- Personal care: bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility assistance
- Meal preparation and feeding support
- Companionship, supervision, and social engagement
- Light household tasks and medication prompts
- Short-term specialist tasks if needed
Who provides it:
- Care assistants or support workers, sometimes nurses for clinical needs
When it’s used:
- Families who do not require live-in care
- People who are mostly independent but need occasional support
- Post-hospital discharge or recovery periods
Live-in Care
This is continuous care where a carer lives in the home with the person, providing support day and night.
What it covers:
- All aspects of personal and specialist care as needed
- Assistance with meals, medications, hygiene, and mobility
- Overnight monitoring for safety
- Companionship and social engagement
Who provides it:
- Care assistants trained in live-in care, sometimes specialist carers, depending on the needs
When it’s used:
- People at high risk of falls or needing constant monitoring
- People with severe mobility issues
- Complex medical needs requiring round-the-clock support
Respite Care
Respite care provides temporary relief for family carers or short-term support for someone in recovery.
What it covers:
- Personal care and daily living assistance
- Companionship and supervision
- Short-term nursing or therapy support if needed
Who provides it:
- Care assistants or nurses, depending on the level of care required
When it’s used:
- Family carers need a break
- After hospital discharge or illness recovery
- Short-term support during holidays or emergencies
Palliative and End-of-Life Care
Focused on people living with life-limiting conditions, providing comfort, symptom management, and emotional support at home.
What it covers:
- Pain and symptom management
- Emotional, social, and spiritual support
- End-of-life planning and bereavement support
- Care coordination with hospice teams and medical professionals
Who provides it:
- Hospice nurses, palliative care specialists, trained carers, and allied health professionals
When it’s used:
- People approaching the end-of-life
- People needing symptom relief while staying at home
Benefits of Home Care Services
Home is where the heart is and where care makes all the difference.
Home care services offer more than support with daily tasks. They provide personalised assistance that helps people stay independent, safe, and valued in the comfort of their own homes.
Personalised Care
One of the most significant advantages of home care is that it allows for truly personalised support. Unlike institutional settings, where care can be more generalised, home care services are designed around each person’s specific needs, preferences, and routines. Carers work closely with the person and their family to develop a care plan that reflects their daily habits, likes, and dislikes. This means meals, activities, and schedules can be adjusted to suit personal preferences, making care more comfortable and meaningful. Personalised care also allows for adjustments as health or circumstances change, ensuring that support is always appropriate and practical, which can improve both physical and emotional well-being.
Independence
Independence is a central principle of home care and adult social care. The purpose of social care, often coordinated by the local council, is to enable people to live as independently as possible, making their own choices and having control over their own care and lives. Internationally, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognises that all disabled people have the equal right to live independently and participate fully in the community, with the same choices available to non-disabled people. While domestic law, such as the Care Act 2014, does not explicitly use the term ‘independent living,’. Its guidance emphasises supporting people to live as independently as possible for as long as possible, highlighting the connection between independence and overall well-being.
In practice, independence is often misunderstood as simply being able to perform daily tasks without help, such as cooking, getting dressed, or bathing. While reablement services focus on helping people regain self-sufficiency after illness or hospitalisation, true independence is about having control and choice over the support you receive, not doing everything on your own. Home care allows people to live where they choose, surrounded by the people and things they love, while receiving the assistance necessary to support their daily routines.
Privacy and Dignity
Receiving care in the comfort of one’s own home helps preserve privacy and dignity. People can maintain personal routines, private spaces, and familiar surroundings that are often impossible in institutional settings. Home care providers are trained to respect boundaries, deliver personal care sensitively, and treat each person with respect, ensuring that their autonomy and comfort are always prioritised.
The sense of security, emotional well-being, and self-respect, allowing people to feel valued and in control of their daily lives, is invaluable to people who need support. Maintaining privacy and dignity also strengthens the relationship between the carer and the person receiving support, encouraging a compassionate and trustworthy care environment.
Cost-Effectiveness
Home care can be more affordable and flexible than residential care facilities. Families can choose the level and frequency of support that best meets their needs, paying only for the services required. This targeted approach helps reduce unnecessary expenses and focuses resources where they most impact. Additionally, receiving care at home can help prevent costly hospital readmissions or complications, leading to better health outcomes. By supporting independence, well-being, and safety in familiar surroundings, home care offers financial and practical benefits for supported people and their families while maintaining high standards of care.
Positive Outcomes
Home care services are associated with better health and well-being outcomes, often determined through a thorough needs assessment. People who receive care at home usually experience faster recovery times, improved emotional and mental health, and higher satisfaction than institutional care. The personalised nature of home care allows for closer monitoring, quicker responses to changing needs, and timely adjustments to care plans.
At UCS, we’ve seen firsthand how this works in practice.
Meet William.
“The team that works with us and William are a credit to the company. We feel blessed that they are now part of our family’s lives. Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough. My wife and I have started going out again and living a regular life. My 21-year-old daughter and her boyfriend are managing to go out in the evenings, which hasn’t been possible until now.” – William’s father.
Home Care with Unique Community Services
With a focus on providing complex care support, 24/7 clinical care, autism and learning disabilities support, and transitional support, our work is deeply rooted in human-centric practices that respect people’s fundamental rights. Our care teams include a multidisciplinary therapy team, highly trained support workers, and clinical teams in PBS and PROACT-SCIPr-UK®.
Here you can explore all about us.
How to arrange homecare support? Contact us today.
Offices: Manchester and Leeds
