Visiting care is flexible support in your own home at agreed times. It can suit someone who is largely independent but would welcome help with personal care, meals, errands, household tasks or companionship, without having a carer living in the home.
Patricia White’s arranges visiting care across selected parts of Central London, mainly Zone 1 and parts of Zone 2. Visits start from a minimum of two hours. Before making an introduction, our Client Relationship team takes time to understand the person receiving care, their routines, preferences, interests and practical needs, so the carer match is considered as carefully as the support itself.
What does visiting care involve?
Visiting care provides support during planned visits, rather than having a carer based in the home. The frequency and timing can be discussed around the person’s needs and the availability of a suitable carer.
Depending on the agreed arrangement and the carer’s experience, support can include:
- Help with washing, bathing, dressing, grooming and oral hygiene
- Support with using the toilet, commode or agreed toilet aids
- Medication reminders or prompting, and collecting prescriptions where agreed
- Preparing meals and helping with everyday food routines
- Light housework, washing up, laundry and ironing
- Shopping and other agreed errands
- Accompanying the person to appointments, activities or social engagements
- Companionship and time spent doing the things the person enjoys
- Support with moving or transferring where this has been agreed and the carer has the appropriate experience
Not every carer will provide every type of support, so the exact tasks should be discussed before the arrangement begins. Clinical assessment, treatment and tasks requiring healthcare-professional oversight should remain with the appropriate healthcare professional.
Helping you remain independent at home
The purpose of visiting care is not to take over. It is to provide the right amount of help at the times it is useful, while allowing the person receiving care to continue making choices about their day.
That might mean choosing meals, keeping up with a favourite hobby, going out for lunch, seeing friends, caring for a pet or continuing to do certain household tasks independently. For someone who values privacy, scheduled visits can also provide support without having another person living in the home.
Between visits, however, the carer is not present. It is worth considering how comfortable and well supported the person is during those periods, particularly if their needs are becoming more frequent or less predictable.
Who may visiting care suit?
Visiting care can work well when support is needed at planned times rather than throughout the day. It may be worth considering if someone:
- Is largely independent but would value help with certain daily tasks
- Would like regular companionship or practical support at home
- Needs help with personal care, meals or household routines
- Is returning home after a hospital stay and needs suitable non-clinical support while they settle back into daily life
- Has a partner, relative or friend providing unpaid care who would benefit from planned respite care
- Wants to remain at home but does not need, or does not want, a carer living in the property
Suitability always depends on the individual. If support is needed frequently throughout the day, needs are unpredictable, or there are significant overnight requirements, another care arrangement may be more appropriate.
How Patricia White’s arranges visiting care
The first step is a confidential conversation about the person who needs support: what would be helpful, when support is needed, what their usual routine looks like and what matters to them at home.
We will also ask about practical details such as location, timing and relevant care needs so we can consider whether visiting care is suitable and available.
Our Client Relationship team looks at more than availability. Matching takes account of the support required and the carer’s relevant experience, as well as interests, personality and the way the person likes to live.
Patricia White’s introduces self-employed carers who have been vetted before being put forward. Our vetting process includes checks such as DBS checks, professional references and right-to-work evidence, alongside relevant training and professional-development information.
You or your representative decide whether you would like to work with the carer introduced. Once you have chosen a carer, you agree the terms and day-to-day arrangements directly with them.
That direct relationship is an important part of Patricia White’s introductory model. You retain responsibility for directing and overseeing the arrangement, while Patricia White’s provides introduction and matching support.
How is Patricia White’s visiting care delivered and regulated?
Patricia White’s is an introductory care agency. We identify, vet and introduce suitable self-employed carers; we do not employ them or direct the day-to-day personal care they provide.
Once a carer is chosen, the client or their representative agrees the arrangement directly with the carer and remains responsible for managing and overseeing it. The self-employed carer invoices the client directly for their services, while Patricia White’s charges separately for its introduction and ongoing matching support.
The Care Quality Commission’s guidance on introductory agencies explains that an introductory agency does not need to register for personal care where it has no ongoing role in directing or controlling the care after an introduction. Patricia White’s introductory service is therefore not CQC-registered as a care provider.
If you would prefer a fully managed arrangement, Patricia White’s sister company, Trinity Homecare, provides a separate CQC-registered model in which the provider remains responsible for managing the care arrangement. Neither model is automatically the better choice; what matters is the support required and how much responsibility you or your representative want to retain.
Our guide to introductory vs fully managed care explains the practical differences in more detail.
How much does visiting care cost in London?
Patricia White’s currently advertises visiting care from £65.50 for a two-hour weekday visit. For comparison, that works out at approximately £32.75 per hour across the two-hour minimum, although visits are not booked as individual one-hour appointments.
The headline figure is not necessarily the full cost of every arrangement. The self-employed carer invoices the client directly for their services, and Patricia White’s charges an agency fee. A one-off registration fee applies, and travel, weekend or bank holiday charges may also apply depending on the arrangement.
Before care begins, ask for a quotation that sets out the charges that apply to your circumstances. You can also read more about visiting care costs.
Where is visiting care available in London?
Patricia White’s visiting care is a London-only service, focused on Central London. Coverage is mainly across Zone 1 and selected parts of Zone 2.
Areas currently listed include parts of:
- Camden
- City of London
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Islington
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Lambeth North
- Lewisham North
- Southwark
- Tower Hamlets
- Wandsworth
- Westminster
Availability depends on the postcode, the support required and suitable carer availability. See the areas we cover or speak to the team before making plans.
Visiting care or live-in care?
Both visiting care and live-in care allow someone to receive support in their own home. The main difference is how much of the day the carer is present.
Visiting care provides support at planned times and may suit someone who is comfortable between visits. Live-in care involves a carer staying in the home for an agreed placement, subject to agreed breaks, and can be more suitable when support is needed at several points during the day, needs are less predictable or greater continuity would be helpful.
Neither arrangement is automatically better. It can help to look at the whole day: how much support is needed between visits, whether there are overnight needs, what family or other support is available, how the person feels about sharing their home and how much continuity they would like.
If you are comparing the options, read more about Patricia White’s live-in care.
More than three decades of experience arranging care at home
Patricia White founded her homecare service in 1989, and Patricia White’s has since built more than three decades of experience arranging support for people who want to remain in their own homes.
That experience matters most in the detail. The practical tasks are important, but so is the person coming into a private home. The team takes time to understand routines, preferences, interests and household dynamics before making an introduction, because a workable relationship depends on more than a list of care tasks.
If circumstances change, or the arrangement no longer feels suitable, you can speak to the Client Relationship team about what needs to be reconsidered and whether another introduction or care model may be more appropriate.
Visiting Care Frequently Asked Questions
Patricia White’s visiting care assignments have a minimum length of two hours. The pattern of visits can be discussed around the person’s needs and suitable carer availability.
No. Patricia White’s visiting care is currently available in selected areas of Central London. Patricia White’s live-in care is available more widely across the UK.
It can, depending on the person’s needs. A visiting carer may help with practical, non-clinical support such as meals, personal care, household tasks, errands and attending appointments.
The person’s discharge plan and any clinical needs should remain under the direction of the relevant healthcare professionals. Read more about support after a hospital discharge.
Under the introductory model, responsibility for the day-to-day arrangement and for making decisions about cover remains with the client or their representative. Patricia White’s can assist with introducing another carer or arranging cover when asked, subject to suitable carer availability.
Yes. Care arrangements can be reconsidered as needs change. If visits are becoming longer or more frequent, the person is less comfortable between visits, or family support is becoming difficult to sustain, it may be useful to compare visiting care with live-in care or a fully managed alternative.
Three simple steps to receiving exemplary care
If you would like to view another area, return to our full list of national counties and London boroughs to see where we can support you or your loved one.
