Handy Housekeepers

Rushcliffe Community & Voluntary Service

For many older or disabled people who want to continue to be independent, routine chores can present a major challenge – like changing a bed or doing the shopping. Our Handy Housekeepers are the answer!

This friendly and reliable service is designed to enable you or your loved ones to carry on living successfully and happily at home. We not only provide that little bit of help around the house to keep things clean and tidy, we also offer regular company so you can have peace of mind and feel secure.

To ensure continuity of service, we’ll assign a Housekeeper who’ll get to know you and understand your particular needs. They can help with:

• Vacuuming
• Dusting and polishing furniture
• Cleaning baths, sinks and toilets
• Washing floors
• Laundry
• Changing beds
• Emptying rubbish bins
• Collecting weekly shopping from the local supermarket
• Collecting prescriptions
• Supporting outdoor activities
• Sitting and companionship
• Light gardening

 

Keeping You Safe

Your health and wellbeing are at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud of the reassurance we give to both clients and their families. We do this by drawing upon more than 40 years of experience – and a wealth of knowledge – supporting older people to retain their independence.

We choose our staff carefully, to ensure they’re right for you. All are trained and insured against breakages and are police checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service.

 

Our Customer Care Promise

 We promise to:

• Always listen to you and make sure the service we provide meets your needs
• Provide you with a professional, efficient and friendly service
• Seek your feedback to make sure our service meets our high standards and your expectations.

 

What does it cost?

As a charity, we need to make a charge for some of our services to help us cover the cost of running them as they don’t receive any funding. For Handy Housekeepers, we charge an hourly rate of £20. To find out more or to sign up for this service, call our friendly team today on 0115 969 9060, 9am – 4pm. Or fill out our contact form

We’re also keen to hear from you if you’re interested in becoming a Handy Housekeeper.

 

“It’s such a load off my mind to have my Handy Housekeeper come and clean and tidy for me. She also helps me with shopping and my laundry. Life is so much easier now.”

Helen – Handy Housekeeper Service User

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Handy Housekeeping service is designed to help you or your loved ones live independently and happily at home. We know that general housework duties can become more difficult due to a variety of circumstances and we understand how important it is to have your house clean and tidy.

 

What tasks will my Handy Housekeeper be able to carry out?

Handy Housekeepers will be available for general domestic duties – cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, cleaning windows, cleaning kitchen/bathroom), laundry (general washing, bed linen, and ironing) and shopping. They are also able to help caregivers by sitting with their loved ones, providing company, companionship and friendly conversation while their carer takes a short break.

 

Is there anything that my Handy Housekeeper is not able to do?

Handy Housekeepers do not carry out personal care tasks, and anything that falls outside of the description above will need to be discussed with the office.

 

How often will my Handy Housekeeper visit?

Visits can be weekly or fortnightly or can be arranged on an ad hoc basis to meet your needs. Visits will be a minimum of one hour, and additional half-hour slots as necessary.

 

What are the service’s operating hours?

The service operates Monday to Friday daytime, 9am – 4pm.

 

How will you decide who to send me? Will it be the same Handy Housekeeper every time?

For regularly scheduled visits, we will try to ensure that you have the same Handy Housekeeper each time, however, this is sometimes not possible due to staff holidays etc.

 

Who do I contact if I have a problem or want to change what has been arranged?

The office is open for enquiries between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday. Messages can be left out of hours which will be acted upon as soon as possible. We do not share Handy Housekeepers’ phone numbers with clients or vice versa.

 

What checks have been carried out on my Handy Housekeeper?

All our Handy Housekeepers are interviewed before they start and have references checked and an enhanced check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

 

If the Handy Housekeeper is shopping for me, how will this be arranged?

This will be discussed with you over the phone. We propose that you provide your Handy Housekeeper with a shopping list and the cash – the Handy Housekeeper will then return with the shopping, your change and an itemised receipt for you to check. If the Handy Housekeeper can take you shopping then they will not have any involvement with the financial transaction.

 

How much does it cost?

The fee for the service is currently £20/hour. Additional half hours are charged at £10. Mileage accrued on your behalf eg: shopping will be charged at 45p per mile. If you are worried about paying for this service, please talk to us, we may be able to help.

 

What are the arrangements for paying?

We do not require payment in advance. Your Handy Housekeeper will leave you with a receipt of hours worked. We will then invoice you every month. Payment can be by cheque or BACS. We can also take card payment if that is the only option available.

 

How do I arrange the service?

Please contact the office. We will talk to you about what you would like to do, how often and any other preferences. We can then match you with one of our Handy Housekeepers and make arrangements for the first visit. If required, we can arrange to visit you to gather the information.

 

What if I have to cancel?

We understand that sometimes arrangements can change. Please give us as much notice as possible, we require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice (excluding weekends). We have a 24-hour answerphone so you can leave a message outside normal office hours (9am-4pm). If you give us insufficient notice of a cancellation we may need to make a cancellation charge.

 

Do the Handy Housekeepers use their cleaning products and equipment?

No, they will use your products, cloths and equipment, but will bring their gloves. They will inform you if they use the last of one of your cleaning products so that it can be replenished.

 

Keeping you safe

The health and wellbeing of our clients are at the heart of everything we do. If one of our clients is in difficulty or fails to answer the door, our Housekeepers will follow a pre-agreed emergency plan and will not leave until they know their client is safe.

 

To find out more or to sign up for this service, call our friendly team today on 0115 969 9060, 9am – 4pm. Or fill out our contact form