Home & Visiting Care in Southampton

Southampton • Hampshire

Flexible hourly visiting care at home in Southampton

Not everyone needs round-the-clock support. For many people in Southampton, the right amount of care is a familiar face who calls in for half an hour in the morning, or drops by a few times a day, so that everything else about life can carry on as normal. That is what visiting care is for. It is the light-touch option that helps someone stay in their own home in Shirley, Portswood or Bitterne, keep their independence and their routines, and get exactly the help they need, when they need it, without the upheaval of moving anywhere.

We will be honest about how we operate. Protocol Healthcare Services is based in the South of England, with our nearest office in Bournemouth, a short drive west along the coast, so we do not have a branch on the high street in Southampton. What we do have is a genuinely national care and staffing service that coordinates vetted, background-checked Care Professionals wherever families need them. Every person we place has completed enhanced DBS and right-to-work checks, references and training before they start a single visit, and wherever possible the same familiar carers return each time.

What visiting care in Southampton can include

• ✓ Short 30-minute check-in and drop-in calls
• ✓ Several visits a day, morning to bedtime
• ✓ Help getting up, washed and dressed
• ✓ Medication prompts and support
• ✓ Meal preparation, drinks and nutrition
• ✓ Light housekeeping and laundry
• ✓ Shopping, errands and getting out and about
• ✓ Companionship and a friendly check on wellbeing

Visits built around your day, not a fixed timetable

Visiting care works best when it fits the shape of someone's real life. For one person in Freemantle that might be a single morning call to help with washing, dressing and breakfast before an independent day. For a neighbour in Woolston it might be four short visits: up and dressed in the morning, a lunchtime medication prompt, an afternoon cup of tea and a chat, and a call at night to help settle safely into bed. As needs change, the visits change with them. A drop-in check-in is often all it takes to give a family peace of mind that a parent living alone across the Itchen in Sholing or Weston is safe and well.

Helping people stay independent across Southampton

Southampton is a big waterfront city with a real mix of communities, from the student streets of Highfield and Swaythling to the family districts around Shirley High Street and Millbrook, and the older maritime terraces of Northam and St Denys. Wherever someone lives, the aim of visiting care is the same: to add just enough support that the things they value can carry on. That might mean help getting ready for a morning coffee near the Bargate, a walk on Southampton Common, a trip to the shops at Westquay, or simply staying on top of the house. We support the life, and step back where we are not needed.

Visiting care is also a natural fit for the weeks after a hospital stay. When someone comes home from Southampton General Hospital, run by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, a short daily visit to prompt medication, prepare meals and keep an eye on recovery can make the difference between a confident return and an avoidable readmission. We keep in close contact with families and district nurses so that any problems are spotted early.

Funding and the cost of visiting care in Southampton

Visiting care is priced by the visit and by the hour, so the weekly cost depends on how many calls you need and how long they last. We give you a clear quote before anything begins. Many Southampton families self-fund, and others receive help: Southampton City Council can carry out a free care needs assessment followed by a financial assessment. Care at home in England is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and we are always glad to walk through the options with you. There is more on our paying for care guide, and you can see the full range on our services page.

Areas of Southampton we cover for visiting care

We arrange visiting care across the whole city and the surrounding SO postcodes, including:

• Portswood
• Highfield
• Shirley
• Freemantle
• Bassett
• Bitterne
• Bitterne Park
• Woolston
• Sholing
• St Denys
• Swaythling
• Millbrook
• Weston