Frequently asked questions

On completion of our free assessment of your needs, we will advise you of the cost based on the level of service that you require. For more information on how to fund your own care please visit the NHS site.

The best place to begin is simply by sitting down and having a frank discussion with your parents – ideally before you start to notice any physical or mental changes that may affect their ability to care for themselves.

That may not always be possible, but if you can address some key financial issues now, you’ll ensure your parents will not only have greater control over their future, but your role will be much more straightforward too. You’ll need to be realistic about the level of care and support you’ll be able to provide, bearing in mind your own family commitments and career needs.

To help you simplify the complexity of the decision-making processes involved in caring for an elderly relative, visit The Age UK website here. Age UK is a national charity whose aim is to arm carers with all the information they’ll need when caring for others.

No, our prices are transparent and given to you on request. Our prices are competitive and you only pay for the services you use. You will know exactly what your package will cost before your service starts and there are no hidden extras .Please contact us to discuss how much a personally-tailored package would be for you.

Yes, we know that continuity of care is extremely important to you, so we try to make sure you see the same faces every time. Just like you, our carers like to build a relationship so we won’t send anyone new along without letting you know. We make sure you get to meet our manager and our carers, so that when your main carer is on leave, you know who will take over during that time.

In order to assess if you’re receiving value for money from your care package, you’ll need to assess the quality of care offered by the caring provider (care worker, care agency, care home, etc), which is agreed and written in your care plan and set against the following parameters:

• The caring provider completes the tasks in a manner that suits you best and has been agreed upon in the care plan.
• The caring provider is registered with the CQC and is vetted by both the CQC and the local authority in which the caring provider resides. You should be able to access to their detailed latest inspection by contacting both the local authority and the CQC. The inspection reports cover a wide range of topics – these include the organisation’s management structures, the caring provider’s care responsibilities and whether or not key responsibilities, such as ensuring the service user feels safe and receives responsible and dignified support, have been positively met by the caring provider.

Taking these points into account, you should match them against the hourly costs of the care set by the caring provider so you can compare and contrast the inspection reports of the varying caring providers against their hourly prices.

A needs and risk assessment of the family member will need to be carried out first so we can assess the level of needs presented by the family member and factor in all the potential risks involved in supporting them.

The needs and risk assessment meeting will be arranged by a member of our team and will include the family member and all parties involved in the family member’s care.

Once the required information is gathered and assessed, the decision will be shared with the family member and the interested parties – a further discussion will then be held to ascertain the type of support required. An agreement will then need to be reached between the caring provider and the family member on the implementation of the most suitable care provision to ensure that everyone is aware of and happy with the pricing structure offered. This part of the process serves as a space for negotiations on the terms and conditions of any future agreements on the provision of care to take place between both parties. Once an agreement has been reached, the contract is signed by both parties and implementation of the agreed care plan is progressed.

It’s important that family members are realistic about the level of care and support that can be provided by taking account of family commitments and career needs.

This will depend on the following factors:

• On the outcome of the needs and risk assessment carried out by the caring provider (please see answer above for more information)
• Taking your relative’s personal wishes into account regarding what care provisions they expect to receive
• Your relative’s financial means of contributing towards their care based on the hourly price suggested by the caring provider.

Yes, as we understand that people’s needs change frequently and we review Care Plans on a regular basis. We would, however, never change your Care Plan without discussing it with you fully.

We are able to provide support on an emergency basis on the same day the referral is received. This is subject to receiving all relevant information and supporting documentation to give us a picture of the person receiving support and our ability to match the service user’s support needs to the right carers/support workers based on their availability. A further agreement on the hourly rate of the care provision will also need to be reached prior to the care package commencing.

Yes, our trained care staff provide specialist care for dementia. Please contact us on 020 8848 1380 for further information about the training and support we offer our carers to help service users suffering from dementia receive a dignified and caring service.

Yes, we provide palliative and end-of-life care through our trained care staff. Please contact us on 020 8848 1380 for further information about the training and support we offer our carers to help service users suffering from palliative and end-of-life care receive a dignified and caring service.

Yes, the mental health support arm of our social enterprise focusses exclusively on those requiring supported living services and who are afflicted with mental health issues and/or learning difficulties. For more information on the services offered please call us on 020 8848 1380.

All our carers and support workers have been retrained on best practice infection control procedures based on the latest government guidance that is set by the DHE and NHS. This is to ensure our carers and support workers are able to carry out their support missions with confidence and to empower service users by keeping them consistently updated with our progress.

We ensure all staff and service users are equipped with the necessary and mandatory personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times when supporting our service users to minimise the risk of passing on infections and viruses. We also ensure all PPE is disposed of appropriately.

We also ensure we update and implement our business continuity plan to its fullest capacity, detailing the best practice methods, precautions and plans are used in protecting our staff, service users and our business from the effects of COVID -19. This includes updating our Staff Handbook and informing service users and interested parties of any updates that may affect the care offered to the service user and to seek out mutually agreed solutions if necessary.

We take training very seriously. We provide a thorough induction course for new workers and encourage ongoing professional development.

Our induction course covers the following topics:

• Food Hygiene
• First Aid
• Adult Safeguarding
• Infection Control
• Health and Safety
• Moving and Handling
• Medication Training
• Food Hygiene

We also offer staff trainings such as:

• Incontinence Management
• Patient hoisting
• NVQ level 2 in health and social care
• Dementia Awareness

We have an internal monitoring protocol, which takes place annual and takes account of a variety of vetting markers (spot checks, supervisions and appraisals, electronic call monitoring information, service user feedback, etc.) that are aimed at ensuring the quality of work offered to the service user remains at an appropriately high level.

Any dips noted in the monitoring process are dealt with swiftly, but compassionately – we recognise that care workers, like all of us, can make mistakes from time to time. The level at which we take appropriate action depends on the severity of the mistake.

Our carers, who have chosen an incredibly compassionate career path to serve and support the vulnerable and elderly in our societies, are given our full support in ensuring that, through thoughtfulness, we achieve the best possible solutions. We believe that lifting each other up during sensitive times helps elevate our standards overall and that solutions rooted in compassion and support are and continue to be our strength in resolving any issues. They will however be monitored thoroughly to ensure that any mistakes are not repeated.

Yes – we ask for two work references, signed and verified by the companies they worked with before joining Sahan Cares.

Our carers can support the services user with domestic chores, for example, laundry tasks, washing up and emptying the bins for collection. Our carers also provide a sitting service to keep the service user accompanied if needed.

No – we don’t employ zero-contract healthcare workers because vale and champion the rights of our carers.

We cover Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon. Please get in touch if you’re unsure if we cover your area.

“I think the staff are angels”

“The best thing is the personalities of the carers who are helpful and kind”

“They’re first class, really the best and I want to sing their praises.”

“Kind, caring and very careful with me. Very respectful.”

“They do anything I want but if I do things, they encourage me.”

Are these glowing comments about our staff written by us? No, we are proud to say these are just some of the positive comments given by our clients and their families to our industry’s regulator, the Care Quality Commission, during its latest inspection.

And while it is always pleasing to receive such positive feedback, it comes as no surprise. We were delighted when a recent client survey showed 100 per cent of our clients would recommend us to friends and families. To us, this is the ultimate accolade which makes us extremely proud.

Just as importantly, our staff like working for us (another survey delivered a 100 per cent staff satisfaction rating) and their happiness is a major contribution to the excellent care our clients talk about.

However, at Sahan Cares we are fully committed to continuous improvement. Our local authority, the London Borough of Hillingdon, this summer scored our services at 96 out of 100. We will not rest until we reach 100 per cent.

Similarly, the latest CQC inspection, while continuing to rate us “good” as an effective and caring provider, has identified that some of our processes require improvement and we are working with them to deliver those changes.

Training and development are that the heart of what we do and will continue to invest our resources to train our staff and management. It is why we work with other healthcare professionals such as nurses, pharmacists, and occupational therapists to ensure we are updated on the latest best practice.

Because we believe in investing in staff and understand the sometimes challenging nature of their work, we are also providing free access to a licenced psychotherapist to support their well-being.

Fortunately, what we do is being recognised outside the profession as well. We were awarded the Community Business of the Year silver prize in recognition of our efforts to support our local community. Thanks must go to our wonderful staff – it is well deserved.

Yes, we do – please contact us on 020 8848 1380 for further information and a discussion to talk things through.

Yes, our phone lines are open 24 hours a day 365 days a year. You will always get to speak to a care coordinator or a manager who is familiar with your plan of care.

Yes we are fully insured for both public liability and employer’s liability to £10,000,000. This is a requirement and evidence of this is provided to social services and any other contracting authority.

Please do! We encourage you to spread the word about the work carried out by our carers and support workers – it’s a great way for us to ensure our standards are reviewed, maintained and kept consistently high.