Going into hospital
At some point, a hospital visit or stay may arise for your loved one. You may be worried how to approach this with your carer. The short answer is there is no set way to agree retention of your carer.
We suggest that choosing to keep a carer on, and at what level of pay, is different for every client and circumstance.
Carers in general will be expected to be paid for 1 week’s notice if you decide to let them go if they are live in carers, or generally 48 hrs if they are hourly carers. This is of course negotiable with the carer, and the carer may offer to take a break that week or the week after for example, but they are not obligated to do so, and in general, a hospital visit does not negate the responsibility to pay your carer the agreed notice.
If the hospital stay is likely to be lengthy or unpredictable, it is really for each client to decide if they want to keep the carer for when their loved one comes back out of the hospital or if they wish to give them notice.
Some carers are willing to accept 50% pay as a retention fee to travel home and wait for news if they are not required at the home to care, some carers are willing to stay on in their role for a percentage of their pay to keep the home for their client return without the care aspect, and some will want full pay to hold their position if their client is in hospital indefinitely.
We would always suggest that carers and clients discuss the ‘‘hospital stay rate’’ if they have not already done so in their interviews and try to agree a fair option for both parties, and of course, AtHome are here to help facilitate those conversations.
OUR ROLE
AtHome Care Group is here to support both you and your carer through these conversations. We cannot decide the rate or notice arrangements on either party’s behalf, but we can help you discuss the options openly, consider what feels fair in the circumstances and record any agreement clearly. Where possible, we recommend agreeing a hospital-stay arrangement before care begins, so everyone understands what will happen if your loved one is admitted unexpectedly.
