Live in care · The first step
A doctor starts the plan.
Before live in care begins, a doctor from our team carries out the initial care assessment. It looks at health, medicines and daily life together, so the care plan is right from the first day. The assessment is £250.
Why a doctor
Health and care, seen together.
A care plan is only as good as the understanding behind it. When the initial care assessment is carried out by a doctor, the plan takes account of how a condition behaves, how medicines fit into the day, and which changes are worth acting on quickly.
The assessment is still about the person, not the diagnosis: their routines, their preferences and the life they want to keep living at home.
What happens
From first call to care plan.
Before
We talk with you by phone about the situation, gather what you already know, and agree a time that suits the person and the family.
The assessment
A doctor from our team talks with the person, listens to the people who matter to them, and goes through the areas below, at an unhurried pace.
The care plan
What the doctor finds becomes a written care plan with risk assessments, agreed with the person before care starts.
Reviews
The care plan is reviewed regularly and whenever needs change, so care keeps up with the person.
What the doctor looks at
The whole of daily life.
- Health and conditionsWhat the person lives with day to day, and how it affects them at different times of day.
- MedicinesWhat is taken and when, and how a carer should support it safely.
- Moving aboutGetting up, walking, stairs, the bathroom, and the risk of falls.
- Eating and drinkingAppetite, swallowing, likes and dislikes, and any special diet.
- CommunicationHearing, sight, memory, language, and how the person likes to be spoken to.
- Routines and wishesGetting up, mealtimes, faith, hobbies, visitors, and what a good day looks like.
- The homeSpace for a carer's own bedroom, access, equipment, and anything that could get in the way.
- Consent and choicesWhat the person agrees to, who they want involved, and who speaks for them if needed.
The person leads the conversation.
We ask what a good day looks like, and plan care around it. Families help fill in the history; the person decides what happens next.
Questions, answered plainly
About the assessment.
Who carries out the assessment?
A doctor from our team carries out the initial care assessment. Our doctors are Dr Mitesh Parmar, Dr Alpa Morawala and Dr Amit Morawala. Meet the team.
Is the care assessment a GP appointment?
No. The care assessment is about care and support at home: what help the person needs, and how carers should give it. It does not replace the person’s own GP. If something medical comes up, the doctor will tell you and suggest where to take it, whether that is the person’s NHS GP or a Clinique Alpa consultation.
Does the person have to agree?
Yes. Care is arranged with the person, not around them. The assessment records what they agree to and who they would like involved. If there is any doubt about a person’s ability to make a particular decision, it is assessed and recorded properly, and decisions are made in their best interests with the people who know them.
Can family be there?
Yes, if the person would like that. Families often know routines and history that help the plan, and the person decides who joins.
What should we have ready?
A list of current medicines, any recent discharge summaries or clinic paperwork, the names of the GP and any specialists, and a sense of the person’s usual day.
How much is the assessment?
The initial care assessment by a doctor is £250. Live in care itself is from £1,650 a week, and you receive a written quote after the assessment. Call 020 8882 8088 to arrange it.
Talk to us about care
Arrange a
care assessment.
Or write to Alpa Care through its contact page.