If your care provider is closing, you have more time than it feels like
When a home care provider gives notice, families are often told in a single letter or phone call, usually with a couple of weeks to sort something out. It feels urgent, and it is worrying, but it is very rarely as rushed as it first seems. Helping at Home can take over care across Newark, Grantham and the surrounding villages, with same-week starts where we have capacity. Call 01636 646915 or use the form below, and we will give you a clear answer on timing within hours.
First steps when you get notice
A short, calm checklist steadies things quickly. In order:
- Check the end date on the letter, and whether visits continue until then.
- Ask your current provider to share the care plan and medication records with your new provider.
- If care is council funded, tell your social worker or Direct Payments contact that you are changing provider.
- Call two or three regulated providers who cover your area and have capacity.
- Ask each one when they could realistically start, and whether they can keep your current carers.
You do not have to have all of this in place before you call us. A first conversation helps you work out what matters most.
Speak to us early, and we can plan a smooth handover
The single thing that makes a changeover calm is time. The earlier we hear from you, the more room we have to overlap the handover so visits continue without a gap.
If your Mum, Dad, husband or wife is receiving care that ends soon, call us now.
Can you keep the same carers?
This is the question families ask first, and it matters more than almost anything else. When a provider closes, the carers who know your routine are often looking for a new employer at the same time. We are a directly employed team, we pay above the Real Living Wage, and we are actively recruiting experienced local carers.
If your current carers apply to join us, we try to keep familiar faces with the people they already support. We cannot promise it in every case, and honest is better than hopeful here. But it is one of the first things we look at, and it is often possible.
If you want to, mention your carers by first name on the form. It helps us plan.
Your funding follows you, not the provider
Changing provider does not usually mean losing your funding. It follows the person.
- Privately funded. You simply agree a new arrangement with us. There is no council waiting list and no new financial assessment.
- Direct Payments. You change the provider your payments are used for. Your Nottinghamshire or Lincolnshire contact can help with the paperwork.
- Local Authority funded. Your existing needs assessment usually stands. You change the named provider through your social worker or the council brokerage team.
- NHS Continuing Healthcare. The funded arrangement moves with the person. The CHC team confirms the new provider.
We can talk any of these through with you and, with consent, speak to your council or CHC contact directly.
How quickly can care start?
Honestly, it depends on the visits involved and where you live. We do not promise care within 24 hours, because that would mean sometimes failing people who needed it. What we do promise:
- A same-day call back if you contact us during office hours.
- A clear answer on capacity within hours, not days.
- A first visit within the same week in most cases we accept.
- An honest “not yet” if we cannot cover the visits reliably, and a referral on to another regulated local provider if that helps.
We never bring in agency carers to fill a gap. That is the point of moving to a provider like us, not something to trade away in a hurry.
What it costs
Our home care uses standard pricing, whatever the reason you are moving to us:
| Visit type | Price |
|---|---|
| Hourly visit | £31 |
| 30-minute visit | £17 |
| Travel per visit | £2.50 |
| Bank holiday and Christmas Day | Premium rates apply, confirmed at quote |
Home care is exempt from VAT under welfare services rules. What you see is what you pay. For Direct Payments, NHS Continuing Healthcare and self-funded routes, see Costs and funding.
Frequently asked questions
My home care provider is closing. How quickly can you take over?
In most cases we can start visits the same week, where we have capacity. Call 01636 646915 and we will give you a clear answer on timing within hours, not days. If we cannot cover the visits reliably, we will tell you honestly and help you find another regulated provider.
Can we keep the same carers when we move to Helping at Home?
Sometimes, yes. If your current carers apply to join us, we try to keep familiar carers with the people they already support. We cannot promise it in every case, but continuity is one of the first things we look at.
What happens to our funding if we change provider?
Your funding usually continues. Direct Payments, Local Authority funding and NHS Continuing Healthcare all follow the person, not the provider. You change the provider named on the arrangement, and your council contact or broker can help with the paperwork.
Will there be a gap in care while we switch?
We work to avoid a gap. Where timing allows, we overlap the handover so visits continue without a break. The sooner you contact us, the more room we have to plan a smooth changeover.
Do we need a new council assessment to switch provider?
Not to start privately. Private home care does not need a council assessment first. If your care is council funded, your existing assessment usually stands and you simply change the named provider. We carry out our own care assessment either way, and it is a conversation, not a form-filling exercise.
Is Helping at Home regulated?
Yes. Helping at Home is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and rated Good. Our carers are directly employed, never agency, and families rate us 9.9 out of 10 on homecare.co.uk.
Talk to us about keeping care going
Tell us what you need and we'll come back to you quickly.
Send a few details and we will call you back the same working day. You do not need to have everything figured out first. A conversation is just a conversation.
If you work for the provider that is closing, we would like to hear from you too. See care jobs for carers whose employer is closing.
