Yes, once Irish HomeCare receives confirmation from the HSE that you or your loved one requires our service, our Service Team Leader will make contact with you to arrange a visit to your home at a time that best suits you. If a member of your family would like to be present for this meeting, we are happy to facilitate this. During this meeting we will explain how our service works and answer any questions you may have.
Our Service Team Leader will ask you questions and carry out some assessments to help us get to know you and ensure that we provide a quality, person-centred service. These assessments and questions will help us to develop a specific care plan for you, our carers will ensure that the care delivered to you is person-centred in accordance with your wishes.
New carers are provided with a comprehensive induction training programme before commencing employment. Our induction programme includes classroom and on-line training delivered by our qualified in-house tutors. As part of the induction process for new carers, they are supervised by the Service Team Leader or an experienced carer prior to working independently.
Carers are required to complete Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults, Manual patient Handling, Children First, Infection Prevention and Control, Hand Hygiene and Personal Protective Equipment training (COVID-19 Specific) prior to commencing work with Irish HomeCare.
All our carers are required to have core accredited modules in care and are supported, during their employment, by our in-house learning and development department to complete a major award in healthcare.
Irish HomeCare aims to provide a reliable service to all our clients, every effort will be made to ensure that you will have the same regular carer. The Service Team leader will ensure that the carer assigned to you in the first instance is permanently assigned to you in the future. All efforts are made to ensure that care is consistent and delivered by the same carer as far as possible, to ensure continuity of care.
You will be given the name of your carer on the day that the service Team Leader visits your home, you will be introduced to your carer and an alternative carer will be named for occasions when your carer is not able to attend to provide care to you. You will be introduced to this carer also prior to the carer call commencing.
Every effort will be made to ensure that the carer arrives to you at the agreed time, however on occasions they may be unavoidably delayed, if this happens, we will endeavour to keep you informed, you will receive a call from the Client Support Officer or the on-call team to advise you of the delay. Alternative arrangements will be made to ensure you receive your care call.
Our electronic scheduling and clock-in system allows us to monitor carers arrival and departure time, allowing early detection of any problems.
- You will be given the following Irish Homecare contact numbers:
- Your Local Office (Irish HomeCare have offices nationwide)
- Area Service Manager (The Area Service Managers oversee all services in their area of responsibility)
- Service Team Leader (Service Team Leaders oversee the carers and ensure quality of service)
- Client Support Officer (The Client Support Officer is there to support the client and ensure effective communication with the HSE)
- On-call team (The on-call team monitor all calls and deal with client queries or emergencies, they are available from 0700 Hours to 2300 Hours seven days a week)
You or your next of kin will be contacted in advance of a carer taking annual leave, an alternative suitable carer will be offered to you to ensure continuity of care.
If a carer is off sick a member of the Irish HomeCare team will be in contact with you or your NOK to advise of the situation and alternative arrangements will be made with your agreement.
Irish HomeCare pride ourselves in ensuring we provide a quality service to each individual in our care. You will be treated with dignity and respect at all times, our person-centred approach to care ensures that care is delivered in accordance with the individuals wishes.
The care and support from our carers will enable you to remain at home for as long as it is safe and practical to do so. Our carers will promote your independence, encourage community integration, and support you to live happily and safely in his own home.
As an approved home support provider, Irish HomeCare aspire to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism in the provision of high-quality care that is safe, effective, and focused on client experience. We have a dedicated quality team who ensure quality of care through continuous audit and quality improvement plans. Our Service Team Leaders provide supervision and monitoring of carers while also carrying out monitoring visits and phone calls to clients or their NOK, to ensure they are happy with the care provided.
As leading providers in Ireland, Irish HomeCare hold Q Mark Accreditation Award and ISO 9001 certification.
You can make a complaint to Irish HomeCare in person, in writing, by telephone or email. If you have a complaint, we encourage you to contact your local Irish HomeCare office to discuss it with a member of the Irish HomeCare team, you can also contact the service Team Leader who will endeavour to resolve your complaint locally if possible. You or your NOK are also welcome to discuss any concerns you may have with Irish HomeCare’s Complaints Officer. Details of how to make a complaint to our Complaints Officer is available in our policy on Customer Satisfaction including Complaints, which is available in the back of your care plan folder or on request.
The Service Team Leader in your area or the Client Support Officer carry out regular client monitoring, due to Covid-19 these are usually carried out over the phone, this will give you the opportunity to provide feedback, whether positive or negative. We see this as an opportunity to learn and make improvements to our service. You are also welcome to contact our office at any time to discuss any concerns or worries you might have.
If for some reason you find it difficult to get on with the carer assigned to you, we would recommend that you contact the Client Support Officer or any member of the Irish HomeCare team to discuss the issues you may be experiencing.
We will do everything we can to ensure that another carer is made available to you once we have someone suitable in the area. We will always work closely with you and your NOK to ensure that you are happy with your carer and the care you are receiving.