When standard home care is not enough
Some people need care that a general carer is not trained to give. A stroke that has left one side weak and swallowing unreliable. A spinal injury. A feeding tube. A condition that is going to keep changing for years. In those situations the question families are usually asked is whether it is time for a nursing home, and often the honest answer is that it does not have to be.
Complex care is home care delivered by carers trained for the specific condition, working to a plan written with the clinicians already involved. We recognise that some individuals need specialised care because of a specific condition or circumstance, and our services are built to be flexible and adaptable so we can meet needs as they evolve.
What we support
Physical disabilities
Support with transfers, moving and handling, hoists where needed, positioning, personal care and everything that comes with running a household when mobility is limited. The aim is independence where it is possible and proper support where it is not.
Stroke care
Recovery after a stroke is slow and uneven. We support rehabilitation at home: mobility work set by the physiotherapist, communication support where speech has been affected, help with eating and drinking where swallowing is a concern, and the personal care that becomes difficult when one side is weak. Progress is often measured in months, and having the same carers throughout means someone notices the small gains.
PEG feeding
Carers trained in enteral feeding manage PEG feeds, flushes and site care in line with the plan set by the dietitian and nursing team, with clear records and prompt escalation if the site or the tolerance changes.
Palliative and end of life care
Where the aim moves from recovery to comfort, we support people to stay at home. That is set out in full on our palliative and end of life care page.
Long-term conditions
Parkinson's, MS, motor neurone disease, COPD, advanced diabetes and similar conditions all follow their own course. Care plans are reviewed as the condition moves rather than annually out of habit.
We will tell you if we are not the right service. Complex care goes wrong when an agency takes on a package it cannot properly staff. If a case needs clinical input we cannot provide, or a level of cover we cannot sustain, we will say so at the assessment and point you somewhere better. That is worth more to you than a yes.
How complex care is arranged
Assessment comes first, and for complex cases it is a longer conversation. We work with whoever is already involved: hospital discharge teams, district nurses, GPs, community matrons, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and social workers. Where the package is funded through NHS Continuing Healthcare or a local authority, we work within that framework, and our guide to paying for care explains how those routes work.
Cover can be built as visits through the day, waking or sleeping nights, or live-in care where someone needs a presence in the house at all times.
Questions families ask
Can complex care be arranged for a hospital discharge?
Yes, and these are often urgent. Call us as early in the discharge process as you can, ideally while the discharge team is still planning, so the package is ready rather than assembled in a panic on the day.
Are your carers trained for PEG feeding and stroke care?
The carers allocated to a complex package are trained for that person's specific needs, and competency is signed off before they work unsupervised. We do not send a general carer to a specialist package.
Does complex care at home work out cheaper than a nursing home?
Sometimes, particularly for couples or where the package is visits rather than round-the-clock cover. For very high-dependency cases a nursing placement can cost less. We will be straight with you about which applies.
What happens if the condition gets worse?
The plan changes. That is the point of reviewing it. We increase cover, add training, or bring in the clinical team as needed, and if the point comes where home is no longer the right place, we will say so.
Talk it through with Jackie
No call centre and no obligation. Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.