Hourly Care

Expert hourly care you can trust

Located in the heart of Oxford, we provide a range of high-quality and bespoke hourly in-home care services designed to support people in living safely and independently at home. We are proud to have cared for thousands of people since 1967, enabling them to stay safely and happily in the comfort of their own homes, whilst providing much-needed peace of mind for their families.

BlueBell Healtcare is not an agency. We provide a fully regulated and managed service, so you can be assured that the hourly home care you receive is delivered to the highest standards.

During our latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection, our services were rated ‘Good’ in all five categories – caring, safe, effective, well-led and responsive – so you and your loved ones can rest assured that the care you receive is of the highest quality.

What is hourly care?

Hourly home care is provided to people living in their own homes who require additional support with day-to-day life. This could include:

Sensitive personal care
Domestic, household and administrative tasks
Planning meals, preparing and cooking meals
Expert nurse-led care
Palliative care and end-of-life care
Safe mobility support both at home and outside
Compassionate companionship
Socialisation and community engagement
Medication management and administration
Ensuring and supporting a safe discharge back home from hospital

Our dedicated carers provide support for any activity that allows people to maintain their independence and quality of life. Hourly carers can also provide family carers with a much-needed break to rest and recharge.

There is a range of terms different providers will use to describe hourly care services. Hourly care definitions include domiciliary care, care at home and visiting care, but all refer to the same service – a carer visiting your home at times during the day to provide care and support.

Who is hourly care for?

Hourly care is for anyone who requires temporary or occasional assistance with daily living activities, but does not need round-the-clock care.

If you are:

In need of a helping hand around your home so that you can live more independently,
Recovering from an illness or injury and you need assistance with activities such as light housekeeping, mobility support or medication management,
Are living with a complex condition and could benefit from expert nurse-led support,
Looking for a friendly companion to provide companionship and emotional support,
The family or friend of someone with cognitive or memory impairments, such as dementia, that needs assistance with the tasks of daily living,

Then hourly care could be just for you.

Whatever your circumstances – we provide high-quality, hourly home care visits that evolve with changing needs, so the right care is in place, at the right time.

How hourly care can support your live in care service?

For our clients that are receiving our expert live in care in Oxfordshire, we can provide extra hourly support to cover the live in carers’ daily breaks. Hourly visiting care can also be used to support those who have more complex needs, where two carers may be required at certain times of the day to provide the care you need, whatever time of the day.

How is hourly care at home provided?

We can provide hourly care from an expert and dedicated carer from as little as one-hour visits a day, through to as many hours or visits you need throughout the day. Many of our clients have a visiting carer come to support them at home twice, or three times a week and some have support every day of the week. The service we provide is totally flexible to ensure you have the care you need as and when you need it.

For those living with complex needs, we provide hourly care over a 24-hour period or more. If a person’s needs change and more care and support are required around-the-clock on a permanent basis, then we can provide our trusted and established live in care service throughout Oxfordshire and its surrounding counties.

Helping Geraldine to maintain independence at home

Geraldine, a 94-year-old lady, had been in hospital having suffered a fractured hip as the result of a fall and needed care to help with her mobility and rehabilitation.

She had received some care at home following her discharge from hospital with another provider and it was decided that this needed to continue. Geraldine’s daughter contacted us and asked for us to set up a mobility care package to help Geraldine with safe movement, day-to-day tasks, personal care and the administration of Geraldine’s medication.

Continuity was very important to Geraldine and this was identified at the assessment stage, due to her increasing level of confusion. A small team of expert carers were identified to best meet Geraldine’s needs. The team spent time building rapport with Geraldine, so she was comforted and reassured about the new arrangement and was more than adequately able to meet her mobility care and support needs. We responded efficiently and effectively to Geraldine’s concerns and her daughter was very pleased with the level of care and service provided.

Geraldine’s daughter said: “I would like to say that I have been very impressed with the efficiency of your company and the professionalism and compassion of your carers. My mother certainly regarded her carers as friends for the last year of her life and her mobility has much improved.”

Specialist care of conditions

We have many years of experience in caring for those who are living with a diverse range of conditions and disabilities:
Arthritis
Cancer
Dementia
Diabetes
Knee and hip replacement
Mobility and frailty issues
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Palliative and end-of-life care
Parkinson’s disease
Stroke

Our hourly / visiting care at home includes:

A comprehensive assessment of your needs before care starts
A bespoke and tailored plan of care and support that reflects your care needs, wishes and personal preferences
Careful matching of an experienced and dedicated carer who will meet all your needs
The support of a fully managed care service that manages and pays your carer
Unrivalled support from a team of care management experts local to you
Access to clinical expertise and medical support

Richard’s story: Living with dementia improved well-being and independence

At 50 years old Richard was considered young to be diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia. It was so important to him to remain independent and feel socially included, both within his group of friends and family, but also his local community.

We spent much time with Richard before putting an hourly care package in place to truly understand how he wanted to be cared for and what was important to him to achieve. Continuity of one main carer with whom he could build a strong relationship with was paramount to him so they could become companions and share time together enjoying hobbies and activities. A care team was perfectly selected to reflect Richard’s wider social needs. It was also critical that the team really understood Richard’s specific dementia, so they completed a specific knowledge-based training programme prior to caring for him.

A comprehensive care plan was created that adopted a holistic approach to caring for Richard, with all the social elements that were so important to him, as well as his choices on how he spent his day and preferences on when and where he went out of the house.

Richard now enjoys a strong bond with both his carers and has built his confidence to remain independent despite his condition. They all enjoy many days out doing a variety of activities, including visits to art galleries, Tai Chi classes and trips to see Richard’s friends. Richard’s quality of life has improved considerably since we have cared for him.

The benefits of hourly care

We know from experience that families prefer for their loved ones to stay in the safety and comfort of their own homes instead of moving into a care home or being cared for in a specialist setting. Here we explain the benefits of receiving care at home as opposed to moving away.

One-to-one care and support from an established team of the same carers
Familiar surroundings provide comfort and reassurance for those living with complex needs
You can live life as you wish without having to adhere to a programme of daily routines, which is common in most care homes
The family care home can be kept in the family instead of having to sell it to fund care home fees
Families have much-needed peace of mind with hourly care that their loved one is safe and comfortable in their own home
Hourly home care is perfect for couples as it means they can stay together and not be separated. In a care home, a couple moving in may be cared for in different parts of the home, and almost certainly they would have separate bedrooms – double rooms are a rarity in residential homes
Keep a beloved pet – pets are generally not allowed in care homes or other specialist settings
Your home is full of treasured memories that you may not wish to be detached from, as well as possessions you are attached to that it just would not be practical to take into another setting
When comparing the cost of hourly care at home to becoming a resident in a care home, it is very cost-effective

Expert care management throughout Oxfordshire

We operate our highly reliable and responsive hourly care at home service throughout Oxfordshire and its surrounding counties. This means you have local care experts near you to fully manage the service we provide. Following a comprehensive assessment of your needs either at home or in another residential setting or hospital, we may be able to put hourly care in place quickly, even within 24 hours.
We provide high levels of ongoing support from our local team for everyone – our clients, their families, and our carers. Our expert care management locally means we are on hand to make sure everything runs smoothly from day one and any changes are responded to quickly and positively.

Hourly visiting care costs
The hourly cost of care is determined by the number of hours our carers visit you, the frequency of visits and the level of care you require. When we conduct our assessment, we will be able to confirm the cost of hourly care at home. We then know exactly what is needed so that you have an accurate cost to help with planning and financing the care arrangement.

Funding from your local authority
As an established provider of hourly care services in Oxfordshire, we have a wealth of experience working with social care teams. Our strong understanding of the funding that is available and how families can access it ensures our reliable hourly care at home service can be provided as and when you need it with all the reassurance that brings.

Hourly care FAQs

What Is Hourly Care?

Hourly / visiting care is when a professional carer visits you in your home to provide you with the care you need. A highly-trained carer will help you with a number of day-to-day tasks including sensitive personal care, food planning and preparation and domestic and household services. Hourly care can be provided from one hour visits a day, through to as many hours or visits you need throughout the day.

Do You Offer Live In Care?

We do. We have been providing live in care services throughout Oxfordshire and its surrounding counties for over 50 years. Our live in care service is focused on keeping people healthy and happy in their own home, whilst enhancing their quality of life. You will benefit from an experienced and dedicated carer perfectly matched to meet your needs, most of whom have worked for us for many years.

Do You Provide Care In My Area?

Throughout Oxfordshire and its surrounding counties, we can provide a range of highly personalised hourly care services. Contact our expert advisors to learn if our hourly care is available in your local area.

What Are The Costs of Hourly Care?

The cost of hourly care is dependent on the number of visits you receive and the care you require. When we conduct our no-obligation assessment, we will be able to confirm the cost of hourly care at home.

How Do I Arrange For Hourly Care?

At Oxford Aunts we make it straightforward to organise hourly care service with us. Call or contact our friendly team today to see how we can help you and your family.

Get in touch with us about your hourly care needs

Our expert care advisors are here to help you understand the options available to you.