1st Homecare (Oxford) Ltd

We have used this company for some time. To begin with, we had sitters twice a week, and have now had a live-in carer for almost 5 months. She has looked after both of us entirely to our satisfaction and we have been very happy indeed with our experience. I have already recommended the company to a friend in need.

The team at 1st Homecare really are lovely. They are unfailingly cheerful, helpful, supportive and are flexible if I need to book extra sessions, even at short notice. It’s so reassuring to know that Mum has such lovely carers visiting her.

1st Homecare have been supporting my mother for over 2 years. I have found them to be completely reliable and always attend when planned. They are also very flexible with changes in requirements. Mum has generally been happy with the carers and appreciates the company. The carers have been sensitive to Mum’s desire for independence and work around some of her reluctance to have someone help her. They have often helped her with extras such as shopping, gardening, sorting out computer issues, etc. We couldn’t have kept Mum at home without them!

Having daily carers have provided peace of mind. My mum enjoys each visit and has a routine that suits her needs. Each visit provides her with both continuity and stimulation and my mum relates to the carers as if they were family. For me the carers are reliable and if there are any concerns I get a call or email. I don’t have to worry anymore about the daily tasks of personal care, medication, breakfast, changing and making her bed, feeding the cat along with general cleaning tasks as they are all part of her person-centred care plan.

I've been using 1st Homecare for more than a year -- initially to help care for my husband, who was progressively more ill, and then just general support to help me with household chores after he died. Everyone has been very professional and helpful. Couldn't be more satisfied.

My mother-in-law doesn’t like change due to her Alzheimer’s and is insistent she doesn’t need more care but the carers have been very patient with her and explained on every visit why they are there. This is most important to have those reassurances from the carers and company for a family.

Following surgery, I needed a morning visit to help with personal care at short notice. The office was helpful/supportive and able to provide a visit at a time to suit me. The carer was always punctual, letting me know the day before what time she would come. She was efficient and kind and didn't make me feel rushed.

My mother has been using 1st Homecare for more than two years when she came out of hospital after breaking a hip. At her request, the care visits have been 'tidal' depending on her health condition - from 4 visits a day to three visits a week to everything in between. 1st Homecare's flexibility is so valuable to her...giving her exactly the support she needs to allow her independent living. All the carers are professional and pleasant but most have become friends to talk to. The Oxford office manager and her team are always kind, efficient and very responsive in an emergency. 1st Homecare is a real comfort to me...a son whose minimum response time is two hours and my brother's whose minimum response time is 3.5 hours.

We have been using 1st Homecare (Oxford) for over a year now and are very happy with the service. The carers that visit my father are pleasant and helpful. They assist him with his housework but also sometimes accompany him on short walks. This all improves his quality of life. I live quite a distance away, so knowing that someone is regularly checking on my father helps to give me peace of mind.

I am very grateful for the support and encouragement given to me by the carers. They always cheerfully help me with necessary tasks in my home, which I find too difficult. Their regular visits help me to plan what needs to be done in advance.

Efficient, helpful and kind carers who I enjoy having in my house and who enable me to cope with my disabilities. They are flexible and carry out such tasks as cutting vegetables for my meals, hanging out my washing, ironing shirts and sheets, making my bed, emptying my commode, emptying the bins once a week, occasionally dusting and hoovering, washing up and cleaning the fridge. I live on my own, so their presence provides me with friendly human contact. Those in the office are uniformly pleasant, efficient and accommodating of last-minute changes I may want to make. By and large, the carers arrive on time and leave at the time agreed. (Bad traffic may intervene occasionally of course.)

I would like to write a complimentary note regarding the caring and efficient setup of home care for my mother. She was in residential respite care for a month, and we decided she would benefit from two hours per day of home care when discharged home. My brother contacted 1st Homecare, and a few days later, my mother, brother and myself met with the 1st Homecare manager. The whole thing was set up over about an hour, and all documents were signed online. A date of discharge for six days later was organised; and two days later I received the roster of which carers will attend my mother from each day, including discharge date. On discharge, the carer came and met with my brother and confirmed all the arrangements needed. My mother has been home almost three weeks now, and we are very satisfied with the arrangements, including an efficient billing system. I receive every week the names of the allocated carers for the upcoming week. I would recommend 1st Homecare to anyone in a similar position to us.

Having never dealt with any care providers before we were unsure of the process involved but after speaking to the assessor firstly on the phone and then in person at my parent's home, we were relieved to find that she could answer all our various concerns. She took the time to discover as much as she could about Mum and her needs. Mum was initially reluctant to have help in the house but has settled quickly into the new routine and tells me quite happily who has visited and how they helped her during the visit. The assessor has kept in regular contact making sure everything is okay and I find the app a real bonus as I can keep an eye on Mum while I'm at work.

Starting with our initial consultation with the excellent lady in the office, who was wonderful and was able to answer all questions and also provide additional information we hadn’t thought of. The staffing members who have visited our Dad over the last ten days or so (twice daily) have all been punctual, appropriately attired in PPE, and extremely considerate and helpful with our father. It is very obvious that this service sets the bar very high with their staffing personnel. We are extremely pleased, and pleasantly surprised. So far I think we have had visits from 7 or 8 carers, and I would say they all should receive an A+ rating.

We would recommend it to a friend. We are satisfied with the service.

I am so satisfied with the care and attention I am receiving. I feel I am being genuinely encouraged to be more self-sufficient under the watchful eyes, constantly ready to help if the need arises. I am constantly appreciative of their ways in which they deal with my routine fairly.

1st Homecare started visiting Mum at the beginning of 2020 and whilst she was initially very resistant to any form of help at home, they helped make changes and won Mum over. They are professional, adaptable, flexible and excellent with feedback. There is an app families can use to see notes from each visit, which is brilliant. I would highly recommend 1st Homecare.

1st Homecare has been wonderful with my elderly mother. All of the carers are efficient, personable and very caring. The office staff have been great in terms of responding to changing needs over the last two years. My mother and I have been delighted with the service.

I have been particularly appreciative of 1st Homecare's efforts to provide stability and continuity with regards to scheduling of individual carers with whom Mum and I have developed closer relationships during these many years. I strongly recommend 1st Homecare to others in need of care in the home services in Oxford.

From the outset, we have been impressed with 1st Homecare. At the assessment, we appreciated her patience in going through everything, and the manager has been kind and attentive in emails and calls, with another member of staff offering support when we had a query at the weekend. We really appreciate their support, together they've made a challenging situation easier. As for the carers themselves, my father-in-law reports that they are always helpful and friendly and, importantly, he has welcomed them into his home. I can see from the timesheets that they always arrive on time and this reliability puts our minds at rest so we can get on with the work we need to do comfortably, knowing he is being well cared for. Thank you!