Homelink Specialist Day Centre

What are the facilities and services?

The centre is run and managed by a registered nurse and her assistant, an enrolled nurse, who are supported by a large team of friendly and highly trained volunteers. Homelink offers the following services and facilities:

• An individual care plan
• Showering, hairdressing and personal and continence care
• Supervision of prescribed medicine, wound care and blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring
• Chiropody, reflexology and aromatherapy
• Mobility and exercise programmes
• Social interaction and psychological support
• Creative activities, music recitals and mental stimulation
• Health promotion and nutrition
• A home-cooked meal allowing for special dietary needs and refreshments
• An internet café is planned

Who can use Homelink?

You can use the service, whatever your age,  if you can’t manage without the help of a carer because of age, disability or physical/mental illness and you live in the areas of Whitton, the Hounslow borders, Twickenham, Hampton or Teddington.

You also need to have a referral from your local GP, district nurse, other health care professional, family carer or friend. You can download a referral form from the Homelink website.

The waiting list is around six months, but as soon as a place becomes available one of the nurses will contact you to arrange a visit to your home to assess your needs prior to starting the Homelink service.

What if I want Adult Social Care to refer me?

To be eligible, you’ll need to live in the specified areas of the London Borough of Richmond and have been assessed as having high level care needs due to frailty, a physical disability, dementia and/or a sensory impairment. Take a look at our page on eligibility for more details.

Our priority is to support people who have no other option or need additional help. If you’re happy with the support you’re able to organise, you don’t have to contact Adult Social Care if you’d rather not.

What support can I get from Adult Social Care?

We’ll need to discuss with you what support you might need - we call this an assessment.

We may offer you short term assistance called Reablement to regain your independence or confidence. This service lasts for up to 6 weeks and is free.

After Reablement, we’ll discuss any ongoing needs you might have through a Self Directed Support (SDS) Assessment, where we’ll estimate the cost of your support and let you know whether we can make a financial contribution.

Can I get help with the cost?

You may have to contribute towards the cost of your support, depending on your level of savings, income and expenses.

Adult Social Care will help you to fill out a financial assessment form to see if you qualify for help. To get a rough idea of costs and how much you’ll pay, you can carry out a quick, confidential, financial self assessment online.

If we can make a contribution, we call this a Personal Budget. You can look after the money yourself and use it to arrange your own support, or you can ask the Council to hold the money and help you to find the support you need.

What if I don’t qualify for financial support?

If you don't qualify for financial help from Adult Social Care and your needs have been assessed as eligible, Homelink will be able to advise you about the cost of the service.

You could also arrange to employ someone directly, a Personal Assistant, to support you. Hestia, a local organisation, can help you to find someone.

The Money Advice Service, set up by government, provides free, unbiased and independent advice, including useful information on employing your own personal assistant.

You could also contact a private home care agency. Remember to take care to choose an agency that’s registered and inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Call 03000 616161 or email enquiries@cqc.org.uk. We maintain a list of home care agencies(pdf, 267KB) in the borough.

How to get in touch

For more information about the Homelink service, please contact Homelink directly.

If you’re not interested in, or don’t qualify for, financial help from Richmond Council with the cost of the service, please also contact Homelink directly and use their referral form to access the service.

Homelink

Address: St. Augustine's Day Respite Care Centre, c/o Augustine's Vicarage, Hospital Bridge Rd, Twickenham, TW2 6DE
Phone (Centre): 020 8255 1993 (9am to 3pm)
Email: info@homelinkdaycare.co
Web: www.homelinkdaycare.co.uk

For more information on Richmond Council assessments and financial help, the Adult Social Care Access Team is the first point of contact for referrals and general enquiries.