Dementia Care at Home in Worthing

Finding the right home care for someone living with dementia is one of the most significant decisions a family can make — and it rarely feels straightforward. Dementia is not a single condition: Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and mixed forms each follow different patterns, affect different abilities, and create different daily challenges. What works well in the earlier stages of the condition will almost certainly need to change as things progress. For families in Worthing and the surrounding parts of West Sussex, that process of finding and adapting care takes place against a specific local backdrop — a town with a notably older population, a busy district general hospital, and a local authority working under significant demand. There are around 47 CQC-registered home care agencies serving this area ^[4], ranging from small independent providers to larger organisations. The variation between them in terms of dementia-specific experience, staffing consistency, and approach to behavioural and psychological symptoms is considerable. CareAH is a marketplace that brings together CQC-registered agencies operating in Worthing, allowing families to compare options in one place rather than making dozens of separate enquiries. This page sets out what dementia home care typically involves, how the local health and social care system works, what to look for in an agency, and how care might be funded — so that when you do speak to providers, you are asking the right questions from the start.

Worthing sits within the area served by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, and Worthing Hospital on Lyndhurst Road is the main acute site for residents of the town and surrounding coastal communities. When someone living with dementia is admitted to hospital — whether following a fall, an infection, or a period of acute confusion — the pathway back home is managed through the Trust's discharge teams working alongside West Sussex County Council social care. Families should be aware of the NHS Discharge to Assess (D2A) framework, which means that for many patients the formal assessment of longer-term care needs happens after they have returned home, rather than in hospital ^[8]. In practice this means a period of short-term reablement or interim care may be put in place first, with a more detailed review following. The national framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare sets out how people with a primary health need — which dementia can sometimes constitute, particularly at later stages — may be eligible for fully funded NHS care ^[2]. An initial checklist screening should happen before a patient leaves hospital, and families are entitled to ask the discharge team whether a full NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment has been considered ^[3]. West Sussex County Council administers the local authority side of the pathway, including care needs assessments under the Care Act 2014 ^[5]. Discharge planning at Worthing Hospital increasingly involves coordination with community health teams, and the speed of that process can vary. If a family member is being discharged and you have concerns about whether adequate care is in place, it is reasonable to ask the ward team directly which discharge pathway applies and what support is being arranged before the patient leaves the building ^[8].

Dementia care places particular demands on home care agencies — demands that go well beyond standard personal care. When assessing any agency, look for evidence of the following:

• Consistency of carers. For someone with dementia, unfamiliar faces cause real distress. Ask specifically how rotas are managed and what the agency's policy is on limiting the number of different carers visiting any one client.
• Dementia-specific training. General care training is not sufficient. Ask what structured dementia training staff have completed, whether it covers behavioural and psychological symptoms (such as agitation, night-time disturbance, and changes in communication), and how recently it was completed.
• Experience with your relative's specific type of dementia. Lewy body dementia, for example, involves fluctuating cognition and sensitivity to certain medications, and carers need to understand those characteristics specifically.
• A clear approach to changing needs. Dementia is progressive. Ask how the agency manages care plan reviews as the condition advances, and what happens if needs increase significantly between scheduled reviews.
• Communication with the family. Find out how — and how often — the agency will update you, and what the escalation process is if something changes or goes wrong.
• CQC registration. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, it is a criminal offence for any organisation to provide regulated personal care in England without being registered with the Care Quality Commission ^[6]. An unregistered agency is operating illegally. Every agency listed on CareAH is CQC-registered ^[4]; if you are ever approaching an agency independently, you can verify their registration directly on the CQC website ^[4].

Funding for dementia home care in Worthing can come from several sources, and for many families a combination applies.

Local authority funding: West Sussex County Council has a legal duty to assess eligible care needs under the Care Act 2014 ^[5]. The financial means test uses capital thresholds: if your relative has assets above £23,250 (including property, unless a qualifying exemption applies), they will typically be expected to fund their own care; between £14,250 and £23,250 a sliding contribution applies; below £14,250 capital is disregarded from the means test ^[1]. For a needs assessment, search 'West Sussex County Council adult social care' for current contact details and opening hours.

NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC): Where dementia has progressed to the point that the primary need is a health need rather than a social care need, full NHS funding may be available through the CHC framework ^[2][3]. This is not means-tested. Families can request an assessment independently of any hospital discharge. The free Beacon helpline offers independent advice on CHC eligibility if you feel a fair assessment has not taken place ^[10].

Direct Payments: If your relative is assessed as eligible for council-funded care, they may be able to receive the funding as a Direct Payment and arrange their own care independently ^[9]. This can give more control over which agency is used and how visits are structured.