Practical, reliable support for independent living. Supporting older people at home.
I work independently with a small number of clients. You deal directly with me, know who will be visiting, and receive consistent support from the same named local person.
Based in Milborne PortCovering Sherborne, Stalbridge, Henstridge, Templecombe & surrounding villages
I grew up on, and remain involved with, my family-run beef farm near Milborne Port. That background has shaped the way I work: practical, steady, routine-led, and used to turning up when I say I will.
I also spent more than ten years as the primary carer for close family members living with serious health conditions, including Parkinson's disease and dementia. I supported my uncle and my father to remain at home, in line with their wishes.
Those experiences taught me the importance of patience, dignity, clear communication and consistency. My aim is to offer calm, reliable support that fits around each person's routines, preferences and independence.
I provide support as an independent self-employed care worker. Every arrangement is agreed directly with the client or their authorised representative and is shaped around the person’s wishes, routines and preferences.
Inviting someone into your home, or arranging support for a family member, requires trust. I take my professional responsibilities seriously and maintain appropriate checks, training, insurance, registrations and professional memberships for the work I provide.
Relevant certificates, insurance documents and registration evidence can be shown or supplied where appropriate.
Every arrangement begins with an informal initial meeting. This gives us an opportunity to talk about the support you need, your usual routines and preferences, and anything that is particularly important to your comfort, safety, dignity or independence.
There is no obligation to proceed after this first conversation. It is important that we both feel the arrangement is suitable and that we understand one another clearly from the very beginning.
If you decide to employ me as your carer, we will need to complete some essential paperwork together. I will guide you through each document, explain it in plain language and fill it in with you. We can take as much time as necessary, and separate sessions can be arranged to finish the documents if that makes the process easier.
The purpose of this paperwork is not simply administrative. It helps me understand exactly what you need me to do, what you do not want me to do, and any special requests, routines or preferences that are important to you. This is essential for your safety and helps ensure that the support I provide is respectful, consistent and carried out in the way you want.
The principal documents include:
This explains how I work and sets out the practical arrangements between us. It includes the services agreed, my working practices and professional boundaries, my hourly rate, minimum visit times, cancellation arrangements, invoicing, payment arrangements and the responsibilities of both the client and me.
This records the support you would like, your normal routines, personal preferences, priorities and any relevant risks or practical information. It helps me understand what matters to you and gives us a clear, shared record of how your support should be provided.
Where personal care is to be provided, this records precisely what help has been agreed and how you would like it to be carried out. It may cover matters such as washing, dressing, toileting, continence support, mobility, eating and drinking, privacy, dignity and established routines. It also records anything you do not want me to do and any particular instructions or requests you would like me to follow.
Appropriate risk assessments and emergency contact information will also be completed where needed. These help identify anything that could affect your safety or mine and allow us to agree sensible ways of carrying out the support safely.
These documents are essential, but they are not intended to make the arrangement difficult or overly formal. I will complete them with you, answer any questions and make sure that you are comfortable with what has been recorded before anything is agreed. My aim is to make the process clear, straightforward and reassuring.
Where personal care is included, it is agreed in advance and provided in accordance with the client’s wishes, preferences and established routines. Further information about how this arrangement operates is set out in the CQC registration and my service section.
Support is tailored around you rather than supplied as a standard package. You, or your authorised representative, remain involved in deciding what support is provided, when it is provided and how it should be carried out.
Your happiness with my service is very important to me. I want you to feel safe, listened to and confident that I understand your wishes. It is therefore important that we are open with one another from the start and that you feel able to tell me if something is not right, if your preferences change, or if there is anything you would like me to do differently.
I work independently and directly for each client. There is no changing rota of unfamiliar care workers: you and your family know who will attend, and I become familiar with your home, routines, preferences and the small details that matter to you.
Arrangements are reviewed as needs or circumstances change. Any changes are discussed and agreed so that the support remains appropriate, dependable and centred on you.
Having supported close family members for many years, I understand the importance of patience, calmness, dignity and respect in the home.
I work as an individual self-employed care worker, providing support directly to each client. The law provides an exemption from CQC registration where an individual care worker works directly for a client, and the client or their authorised representative retains genuine choice, direction and control over the arrangement.
My service is structured to operate within this legal framework. This allows clients to receive consistent, one-to-one support from the same named person, rather than through an agency or managed care provider.
Where appropriate, I may provide everyday personal care as part of a directly agreed arrangement with the client or their authorised representative.
This may include support with:
Any personal care is discussed in advance and provided in accordance with the client’s wishes, preferences and established routines. The client, or their authorised representative, remains in control of what support is provided and how it is carried out.
I do not provide nursing or clinical care, wound care, injections, medication administration, invasive procedures, complex moving and handling, hoisting, or any task requiring a registered healthcare professional or specialist clinical training.
Please feel free to get in touch for an informal chat.
My rate is £20 per hour. The minimum visit is 1.5 hours. Further agreed time may be booked in one-hour blocks.
07974 431820 bernardvirgin@icloud.comI maintain a comprehensive set of policies, procedures and client documents. Current copies are freely available to clients, prospective clients, authorised representatives and appropriate referring organisations.
Documents available include:
For the latest versions, please email bernardvirgin@icloud.com.