Home & Visiting Care in Medway

Medway • Kent

Flexible visiting care at home in Medway

Not everyone needs round-the-clock support. For many people across the Medway Towns, a little help at the right times of day is all it takes to keep living safely and independently at home. That is what visiting care is for: a Care Professional who drops in for anything from a 30-minute call to several visits a day, helping with the parts of the day that have become harder while leaving your loved one free to carry on with the rest. Protocol Healthcare Services has arranged this kind of flexible support for over a decade, and we bring the same standards to Chatham, Gillingham and Rochester as everywhere we work.

We are open about how we operate. Our offices are in the South of England, so we do not run a high-street branch in Medway. What we do run is a genuinely national service, coordinating vetted, background-checked Care Professionals wherever they are needed. Every person we place has completed enhanced DBS and right-to-work checks, references and training before they start, and a consultant is available around the clock, so families in Strood, Rainham and Walderslade get the same reliability as those close to us.

What visiting care in Medway can include

• ✓ Short calls from 30 minutes, or several visits a day
• ✓ Help getting up, washing, dressing and bathing
• ✓ Medication prompts and support
• ✓ Meal preparation, drinks and nutrition
• ✓ Light housework, laundry and shopping
• ✓ Companionship and help getting out and about
• ✓ Drop-in and check-in visits for peace of mind
• ✓ Support to and from appointments in the Medway Towns

A schedule built around your day

Every household runs on its own rhythm, and visiting care should fit it rather than force a change. Some families book a single morning call to help a relative in Rochester or Cuxton get up, washed and dressed with a medication prompt to start the day. Others prefer a fuller pattern of morning, lunchtime, teatime and bedtime visits, so there is support at the key moments while their loved one stays independent in between. A short check-in visit can be enough simply to know someone is safe, has eaten and has taken their tablets. As needs change, we step the package up or down without fuss.

Local knowledge across the Medway Towns

Medway is a unitary authority in north Kent built around five historic towns: Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham, together home to more than a quarter of a million people. Daily life looks different from one neighbourhood to the next, from the riverside streets of Rochester and Strood to the busier centres of Chatham and Gillingham and quieter spots out towards Wigmore, Lordswood, Halling and the Hoo Peninsula. We match Care Professionals to the person and the place, and we plan visit times with the practicalities of getting around the ME postcodes in mind, so calls land when they are actually needed.

Visiting care is also one of the gentlest ways to settle back in after a hospital stay. Medway Maritime Hospital on Windmill Road in Gillingham, the main acute hospital for the area and run by Medway NHS Foundation Trust, discharges many local people who simply need a helping hand for a few weeks. Regular visits keep medication on track, make sure someone is eating well and moving safely, and give families reassurance without the commitment of full-time care. We can increase the visits after a discharge and reduce them again as confidence returns.

Funding and the cost of visiting care in Medway

Visiting care is usually charged by the hour or by the visit, and the total depends on how many calls you need and how long each one lasts. We will talk it through and give you a clear picture before anything starts. Many Medway families self-fund, but you may be entitled to help: Medway Council can carry out a free care needs assessment followed by a financial assessment to check whether you qualify. Care at home in England is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), so you can also see how local services are rated. Our team is always glad to explain the options, and you can read more on our paying for care guide or browse our full range on the services page.

When visiting care is not quite enough

If the calls start to creep up and you find yourself wanting someone there overnight or through the day, it may be time to look at live-in care in Medway instead. Equally, if the goal is to give a family carer a proper rest, our respite care can cover the gap. We will always be honest about which option genuinely fits, rather than selling you more hours than you need.

Areas of Medway we cover for visiting care

We arrange hourly visiting care at home across the Medway Towns and surrounding villages, including:

• Chatham
• Gillingham
• Rochester
• Strood
• Rainham
• Walderslade
• Wainscott
• Cuxton
• Halling
• Wigmore
• Lordswood
• Hoo