Home Care Exeter
Private Independent Care
Independent home care in Exeter from one self-employed carer, Rea Frame, with the same face at every visit
Private Independent Care is one carer offering home care directly to a small number of clients across Exeter and the villages around it. No rota, no rotating faces and no office in the middle. You meet me before anything is agreed, and the person who sits at your kitchen table is the person who turns up every visit after that.
Free visit, no obligation, and an honest answer about whether I am the right fit.
- Enhanced DBS checked
- Fully insured
- Free home visit
- Same carer, every visit
Why families choose independent home care in Exeter
If you have already tried an agency, the story is probably a familiar one. A different face most weeks. A thirty minute call that shrinks to twenty because the previous one overran. Explaining the whole history again to somebody who has never met your mum, while she sits there listening to it.
This works differently because it is one person rather than a rota. I will only take on a small number of clients, all living close to each other across Exeter, so that I can give each visit the time it was booked for and turn up when I said I would. There is no coordinator to ring, no office margin on the hourly rate, and nobody to explain things to twice.
Everything is agreed with you first and written down. Days, times, what I do, what it costs. Nothing changes without asking you.
Home care in Exeter, and who it suits
Older people who need a hand to carry on living in their own home. Getting up and washed, a proper meal, the medication taken on time, and somebody to notice when something is not right.
People living with dementia, at any stage where home is still the right place to be. Familiarity matters more than anything here. The same person, the same routine, the same way of doing things, every visit.
People with a physical disability or a long-term condition who want support with the practical things without handing over control of their own day. You direct the care. I do what you have asked, the way you have asked for it.
Anyone coming home from hospital who needs help for a few weeks while they get back on their feet. Shopping in, meals made, prescriptions collected, and a lift to the follow-up appointment.
When I am not the right fit
Some situations need more than one carer can safely provide. Two-person moving and handling. Nursing tasks such as injections or wound care. Overnight or live-in care. Needs that are changing faster than a visiting pattern can keep up with. If that is where things are, I will say so at the first phone call and help you find the right service. Knowing when to say no is part of doing this properly, and it is better for you to hear it from me on day one than to find out in week three.
What I can help with
Six ways families describe what they are looking for. In practice most arrangements are a mix, and the written agreement spells out yours.
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Home Care
Help at home with the things that have become hard, from one carer you know.
About home care -
Visiting Care
Regular visits, morning, midday, afternoon or evening, that last as long as they need to.
About visiting care -
After Hospital Care
Support for the first few weeks back at home after a stay in hospital.
About after hospital care -
Long Term Care
An ongoing arrangement that changes as needs change, with the same face throughout.
About long term care -
Domiciliary Care
What the term means, how it works with a direct payment, and how I differ from an agency.
About domiciliary care -
Personal Care
Washing, dressing and continence support, done with patience and privacy.
About personal care
Why independent rather than an agency
An agency is the right answer for some families. This is the honest case for the alternative.
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You know who is coming
Not a name texted to you ten minutes before the visit. Me, every time, and you met me at your own kitchen table before anything was agreed.
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Time is not rationed
A visit lasts as long as we agreed it would. A fifteen minute call is a box being ticked, and I do not do them.
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You explain things once
After a few weeks I know the routine, which chair is hers, which neighbour to wave at and which mug is the right one.
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Direct pricing
An hourly rate agreed with you at the free first visit, for the hours I am with you. There is no office, no coordinator and no margin sitting between you and the person doing the work.
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Small on purpose
I will keep the number of clients small and the patch tight, so nobody has their visit cut short by my drive to the next address.
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Honest about the trade-off
Because I work alone I cannot send a replacement when I am ill or away. I help you put a backup in place before we start, and I will never pretend otherwise.
How it works
Four steps, and the second one is free. From first call to first visit should be a week or two.
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Step 1: A phone call
Tell me what is going on. No script and no sales pitch. If it is not something I can safely take on, I will say so on that call.
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Step 2: A visit, free of charge
I come to you. We sit down, talk through what would actually help, and you decide whether I am the right fit. No charge and no obligation.
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Step 3: A written agreement
Days, times, what I will do and what it costs, in plain English. Yours to keep, and nothing in it changes without asking you first.
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Step 4: We start
Same carer, every visit. After a few weeks I know the routine, the neighbours, and which mug is the right one.
How this compares
Three ways families arrange care at home. None is right for everyone, and the honest answer is usually about what matters most to you.
| Question | Private Independent Care | An agency | Live-in care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who turns up | Me, every time. You met me before anything was agreed. | Whoever is on the rota that day. Often a different person each week. | One carer living in the house, with a second covering their days off. |
| How long a visit lasts | As long as we agreed. I am not counting down to the next address. | Frequently 30 minutes, sometimes 15, and the travel between calls comes out of it. | Not visit based. Support is available through the day, with agreed breaks. |
| What you pay for | Between £20 and £40 an hour for the hours I am with you, one figure agreed in writing before we start. Usual minimum term three months, paid in advance, open for discussion at the first visit. | An hourly rate set by the agency, which also pays for an office, a manager and a rota. Ask each one for its rate and terms. | A weekly fee, usually well over a thousand pounds, plus board and lodging. |
| When I am ill or away | I cannot send anyone else. You keep a backup arrangement, and I help you set one up before we start. | The office sends a replacement, though you may not know them. | The provider arranges relief cover. |
| Who you deal with | Me. The person doing the care is the person you ring. | A coordinator or care manager, then the carer. | The provider, then the carer. |
| Regulation | Engaged directly by you, working under your direction, which sits outside CQC registration. DBS checked and insured, and I will show you both. | Registered with the CQC and inspected. | Usually a provider registered with the CQC. |
I do not offer live-in, overnight or nursing care. If that is what is needed I will say so at the first phone call.
About Rea
Hi, my name is Rea Frame. I am a mother of two and I have worked in care for many years. I am personable and caring, and I believe your loved ones should be taken care of by a friendly face that understands what people need.
I work on my own, deliberately. It limits how many people I can help, and it is what lets me give each of them a proper service. Enhanced DBS checked and fully insured, and I bring the paperwork with me to the first visit.
More about me and how I workWhat it costs
Hourly rate
£20 to £40 per hour
Where in that range depends on what is needed. I give you one fixed figure at the free first visit, in writing, before anything is agreed.
- The rate is all in. Mileage is included, there is no VAT to add, and there is no registration fee or charge for the first visit.
- Minimum visit one hour. Usual minimum term three months, paid in advance, open for discussion at the first visit.
- A visit I miss, or cannot complete because I am ill, is not charged. The time is carried over to another visit or refunded, whichever you prefer.
- A visit you cancel with 48 hours notice is carried over. With less notice it is charged.
- 14 days to change your mind after signing the agreement. Visits you asked me in writing to start in that time are paid for.
- Two weeks notice to end the arrangement, from either of us. If it ends early you pay for the visits made and the notice period, and the rest is returned.
One all-in rate, agreed in writing
The hourly rate is settled at the free first visit and written into the agreement. It covers the hours I am with you and it is all in. Mileage is included if a visit involves driving you somewhere. I am not VAT registered, so there is no VAT to add. There is no booking fee, no registration fee and no charge for the first visit, and the rate does not change without talking to you first.
The minimum term, and paying in advance
My usual arrangement starts with a minimum term of three months, paid in advance. That is a starting point and it is open for discussion at the first visit. If a shorter term or a different way of paying would suit you better, say so and we will talk it through.
Missed and cancelled visits
You are never charged for a visit I miss, or one I cannot complete because I am ill. That time is carried over to another visit or refunded, whichever you prefer. If you need to cancel a visit, tell me at least 48 hours beforehand and the time is carried over to another visit. A visit cancelled with less notice than that is charged.
Changing your mind, and ending the arrangement
You have 14 days after signing the agreement to change your mind and cancel it. If you have asked me in writing to start visits inside those 14 days, you pay only for the visits that have happened. After that, either of us can end the arrangement with two weeks notice. If it ends before the minimum term is up, you pay for the visits that have happened and for the notice period, and the rest of what you paid in advance is returned.
Paying with a direct payment
This is a privately funded service, but if Devon County Council has assessed you as eligible for care and offered a direct payment, you may be able to put it towards my visits. A direct payment is money the council pays you to arrange your own support rather than sending a provider they have chosen. Plenty of people use one to pay a self-employed carer. Tell me at the first visit if this is how you would be paying, and I will explain what the council will want to see.
Questions families ask
The two questions every family asks are the first two. I answer both head-on because hoping nobody asks is not a plan.
Are you regulated by the Care Quality Commission?
No, and here is why. The CQC registers agencies that employ carers and send them out to people. I am a self-employed carer engaged directly by you, working under your direction, which is a recognised arrangement that sits outside registration. It is the same footing as a personal assistant. I am enhanced DBS checked, insured and trained, and I am happy to show you all of it at the first visit.
What happens if you are ill or on holiday?
I am a self-employed carer working alone. I do not employ anyone and I cannot arrange a replacement, so any cover is something you arrange yourself. I will give as much notice as possible for planned absence and will contact you immediately if I am unwell. Before we start I will talk you through putting a backup arrangement in place, so nobody is caught out.
Can you help with medication?
Yes. I can prompt and support with medication as it has been prescribed, from a blister pack or a dosette box, and I record every dose at every visit. I cannot give injections, change dressings or do anything that needs a nurse. If that is part of the picture, the district nursing service covers it and I work around their visits.
How quickly can you start?
Within a week or two if I have space. The first step is a phone call, then a free visit to your home, then a written agreement. If I am full I will tell you on the phone rather than keep you waiting, and I will point you towards other options.
Which parts of Exeter do you cover?
Postcodes EX1 to EX6. That is the city itself, including St Thomas, Heavitree, Pinhoe, Whipton, Alphington, Exwick, St Leonard's, Wonford and Countess Wear, plus Topsham, Exminster, Cranbrook and the villages between. I work in a tight area on purpose so I am never rushing between visits. See the areas I cover for the full list.
Do I have to sign a contract?
You get a written agreement setting out days, times, what I do and what it costs, in plain English. My usual minimum term is three months, paid in advance, and that is open for discussion at the first visit. Either of us can end the arrangement with two weeks notice, and you have 14 days after signing to change your mind. There is no registration fee.
What does it cost?
Between £20 and £40 an hour, depending on what is needed. I give you one fixed figure at the free first visit, in writing. The rate is all in, with mileage included and no VAT to add. There is no registration fee and no charge for the first visit. See rates for worked weekly examples.
Can I pay with a direct payment from the council?
Often, yes. If Devon County Council has assessed you as eligible for care and offered a direct payment, you can usually use it to pay a self-employed carer rather than a provider the council picks. I will explain what the council needs to see and how the paperwork works. This is a privately funded service, so you can also simply pay me directly.
What does a typical visit involve?
Whatever we agreed it would, and it varies a lot from person to person. A morning visit might be help getting up, washed and dressed, breakfast, medication, and the bins out. A midday one might be a hot meal and a walk to the shops. Read about visiting care for what a visit actually looks like, hour by hour.
Areas I cover around Exeter
Exeter itself, including St Thomas, Heavitree, Pinhoe, Whipton, Alphington, Exwick, St Leonard's, Wonford and Countess Wear, plus Topsham, Exminster, Cranbrook and the villages between. Postcodes EX1 to EX6. A tight patch on purpose, so that everyone I take on lives within a short drive of everyone else and no visit is cut short by the journey to the next one.
Start with a phone call
Tell me what is going on. No script and no sales pitch. If I am not the right fit I will say so, and point you somewhere that is.