Introduction

This report documents the engagement work by Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire (HWERY) to gather service-user feedback on East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) arranged homecare.

The purpose of the engagement work was to understand whether homecare services:

• meet people’s wellbeing needs and desired outcomes
• support independence
• provide choice and control over care

HWERY designed a questionnaire (based on ERYC criteria) and promoted it through partners, social media, and in-person community engagement due to lack of access to service-user contact details. There were 10 people who agreed to take part (7 questionnaires were completed) and whilst this was a low response rate the responses did provide useful qualitative insights.

Key findings / themes

1. Reliability and continuity of carers
   • Strong positive experiences were linked to reliable, consistent carers who build trust and follow care plans.
   • Negative experiences included late/no-show visits and failure to deliver the care plan, leaving people at risk (e.g., stuck in bed).
2. Independence: enabled vs. decline
   • Where carers had time and focus to encourage mobility (e.g., using walking aids), people were more likely to retain independence.
   • Where time was limited, some participants described rapid deconditioning, reduced mobility, and increased care needs (including needing hoists and two carers).
3. Choice, control, and involvement in planning
   • Some participants felt listened to and able to adjust visit times or care delivery.
   • Others reported not being fully consulted (especially after discharge from hospital) and not understanding restrictions in care contracts.
4. Outcomes and wellbeing beyond “basic needs”
   • Experiences varied between care that supports a fulfilling life (including community access) and care that only covers essentials, limiting social participation, especially for people living alone.
5. System/coordination issues
   • Reported problems included delays in reassessments (especially for degenerative conditions), and poor communication across services, sometimes with no clear single point of contact.
   • Practical delays (e.g. hoist installation and related works) significantly affected wellbeing and perceived control.

Recommendations (high level)

The report proposes actions including:

• allocate enough time per visit to support independence
• prioritise continuity of carers
• improve communication/coordination and create a clear single point of contact/key worker
• ensure timely reassessments, particularly for changing/degenerative conditions
• build flexibility into packages to support social/outcomes needs, not only basic care
• provide clear information on all care options (e.g., direct payments, local providers), especially where providers withdraw from areas
• address reliability through clearer expectations and monitoring
• promote broader awareness of eligibility and encourage earlier help-seeking
• consider recruiting more male carers to improve comfort with personal care for some men

Report

The report can be viewed and downloaded below: