You are responsible for providing full board and lodging for your care assistant.
Your care assistant needs her own room, which is properly heated, with a comfortable bed, an easy chair, chest of drawers, bedside light and table. She may spend several hours a day in the room, so please make sure it is comfortable and if possible do provide a television. Low quality accommodation can make it difficult for care assistants to complete their jobs properly.
We recommend that you allow your care assistant at least two hours free time each day, including a break of at least 30 minutes each morning and afternoon, and time for her own meals, a bath or shower, and a reasonable night’s sleep. If the support you need is particularly strenuous or stressful you should provide additional time off.
If you need your care assistant to carry out extra night duties, we suggest that you discuss and agree these in advance, along with an offer for extra pay, or opportunities for extra rest during the day to compensate.
Internet
Allowing care assistants access to the internet can help them keep in touch with their families and feel less isolated. An increasing number of care assistants have Wi-Fi enabled laptops – if you have a broadband connection, it’s simple to let your care assistant share this at no inconvenience to you.
Alerts and alarms
It is important that you can get assistance when you need it. We recommend that you invest in an intercom, baby monitor or mobile door bells, so that you can alert your care assistant to your needs when they are elsewhere in your home or garden.
Insurance, safety and risk assessments
You have an overall responsibility to provide safe working conditions in which your care assistant can carry out her tasks.
- Make your house safe. Check that smoke alarms are installed and working properly, and there are no loose carpets, trailing flexes, projecting furniture or poorly-lit places that could give rise to an accident.
- Provide proper equipment. Ensure that you have everything your care assistant needs to carry out their tasks properly, including specialist equipment such as hoists, sliding boards, gloves, aprons, disinfectants, etc.
- Ensure that the domestic staff section of your household insurance policy covers the care assistant for any accident, loss or damage while she is working for you.
- Make sure that your care assistants are able to work in accordance with normal health and safety regulations. If a client is suddenly too difficult to move with the help of a single care assistant, we will recommend bed care only.
