Terms and Conditions
Please read these Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) carefully as they contain important information about your legal rights, remedies and obligations. By accessing or using iCare Platform, you agree to adhered and be bound by these Terms.
Last Updated: 31/12/2019.
Unless expressly indicated by iCARE, nothing on this website constitutes an offer to enter into legal relations, including but not limited to contractual obligations.
While we take every precaution to ensure that the information contained on this website is accurate and up to date, it remains “as is” and without any warranty of any kind. It may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. iCARE Ireland accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage whatsoever as a result of any information contained here. We make no representations or warranties, whether express, implied in law or residual, as to the sequence, accuracy, completeness or reliability of information, opinions, research information, data and/or content contained on this website (including but not limited to any information which may be provided by any third party or data or content providers) and shall not be bound in any manner by any information contained here. In no event shall iCare be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, punitive or consequential damages or any other damages whatsoever howsoever arising in connection with any of the information disclosed or available here. No information shall be construed as advice, information is offered for information purposes only.
iCARE is not responsible for, and makes no endorsement or certification as to the integrity or accuracy of, the contents of any third party information included here. Always verify any information with these parties directly for yourself.
We are also not responsible for the content of any external sites. Any links to other sites from this one are provided for your convenience only and if you chose to visit them it is undertaken at your own risk and without reliance upon any information, representation or certification from iCARE Ireland, its employees or agents. Contact us if you would like to link to this website or would like to request a link to your website.
iCARE reserves the right to make any improvements in and/or changes to products and services described on this website at any time without notice.
Any personal information you provide may be used by iCARE or our agents for client administration as defined by the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003.
Unless specifically indicated iCARE owns the copyright to, or valid license in, the contents of this website. All rights are reserved in respect of all trademarks, names, logos, service marks trade and brand names registered or otherwise, owned or held by iCARE Ireland. Nothing contained on this website should be construed as granting any licence or right to use any trademark without our full prior written permission.
This site is operated and controlled in Ireland and is governed by Irish and European law. Those who choose to access this site from other locations do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws apply.
iCARE is not responsible for any material submitted to the public by you (including news, blogs, social media posts, client portal, etc, or any other public area found on the website). That material is not endorsed, reviewed or approved by iCARE and we reserve the right to remove it without notice if we feel that it may be designed to (including but not limited to): Defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the rights of other users or third parties
Publish, post, distribute or disseminate any defamatory, obscene, indecent or unlawful material or information
Post or upload files that contain viruses, corrupted files or any other similar software or programmes that may damage the operation of our website and/or a third party’s computer system and/or network
Violate any copyright, trade mark or other applicable Irish or international laws or intellectual property rights
Submit contents containing marketing or promotional material intended to solicit business
The contents of this site are protected by copyright and other proprietary rights, which are the property of the BLUEBIRD CARE as owner or authorised licensee and are subject to the following copyright notice. All rights are reserved.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns arising from the website, the privacy policy or any other relevant terms and conditions, policies and notices or the way in which we are handling your personal information please contact us.
These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement ("Agreement") between you and iCare Ireland (as defined below) governing your access to and use of this website including any subdomains thereof, and any other websites through which iCare makes its services available. (collectively, "Site"), our any mobile, tablet and other smart device applications, and application program interfaces (collectively, "Application") and all associated services (collectively, "Services"). When these Terms mention “iCare,” “we,” “us,” or “our,” it refers to iCare Ireland Services 45 Briarhill Business Park Galway head Office and Branch 65 Black Arce Tuam Co-Galway. Our collection and use of personal information in connection with your access to and use of the Platform is described in our Privacy Policy.
Definitions of terms:
When the following words with capital letters are used in these Terms, the definitions below will apply:
Account Manager: A Care Manager who is your main point of contact as an existing Client for account related matters.
Audit: A process of data analysis, review and Continuous Quality Improvement that informs our policies, procedures and processes.
Bank Holiday: means a bank holiday in Republic of Ireland.
Bank Holiday Rate: Our Bank Holiday rate is twice the non Bank Holiday Rate, unless agreed otherwise. You will be opted in to paying the bank holiday rate for any care sessions occurring on a Bank Holiday
Cancellation Policy: The rules and procedures concerning cancelled Care Sessions, paused and terminated contracts.
Care Advisors: Trained office based advisors who are your first point of contact regarding provision of home care, accessible typically by phone and email.
Care Journal: A ledger of historical data collected via the Professional Carer’s Care Hub detailing the Care delivered by Professional Carers during Care Sessions.
Care Plan: A live and dynamic clinical document detailing the Personal Care needs and activities of the Care Recipient and tasks performed by Professional Carers. Under the Managed Model of Care the Care Plan is produced and updated collaboratively by the Professional Carer, family, Care Recipient and Nurse Manager. In the Introductory Model of Care, the Care Plan is produced and updated by Professional Carer, family and Care Recipient.
Care Rate: The amount to be paid on an hourly or daily basis for the delivery of a Care Session.
Care Provider: For the Managed Care Model of Care, the provider of care is iCare Ireland.
Care Recipient/s: The term We use to define the patient, service user, end user or individual receiving Care provided by Professional Carers.
Care Session: Any period of time where a Professional Carer is delivering care on behalf of a care recipient
Carer: The one delivering care
Client: The person who manages the Care Recipient’s account. The Client may or may not be the same person as the Care Recipient.
Client Assessment: The process through which we assess Your care needs and how they might be served by iCare services. This typically involves a phone discussion with a Care Advisor followed by matching of care needs to Carer Profiles in the Carer Library. Under the Managed Model, Client assessment will involve an Initial Home Visit from a member of the iCare Ireland clinical team to facilitate the creation of a Care Plan.
Clinical Governance: The Policies and Procedures through which Our Registered Manager and other clinical professionals oversee can improve the provision of care.
Complaints Procedure: The manner in which You can make a complaint to Us and how we will process, investigate and respond.
Consent: The care recipient’s capacious agreement to receive personal care (or other assistance) communicated via written, verbal or other readily understood method of communication.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards: The legal framework that protects vulnerable individuals, who are typically non-capacious, when they are confined to a single location such as a care home or Hospital.
Direct Payments: The funding mechanism provided by Local Authorities which permits Care Recipients an allocated budget for Personal Care
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: A background criminal records check of the Adult and Children’s Barred lists that is a statutory vetting requirement.
Blessing Oguekwe: Our Registered Manager
Fees: The Monies due to Us in return for the Services provided to You, that support the delivery of care through the iCare services platform.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): An up to date list of questions and answers that address common concerns and queries
Health and Safety Assessment: The assessment carried out in each home to ensure it is a safe working environment, safe for the Care Recipient and compliant with Health and Safety Legislation
iCare Ireland: Our corporate entity
Initial Home Visit: The welcome home visit carried out by our Nurse Manager to assess your care needs
Introductory Care Model: Our non-regulated business model. Under the Introductory Model of Care, Professional Carers provide Personal Care directly to Care Recipients without further involvement of iCare Services in relation to care management. The provision of Care Plans, rotas and oversight are a collaboration between the Professional Carer, the Care Recipient and the family.
Live in Care: The type of care where a Professional Carer resides on a temporary basis in the care recipient’s home for a 24 hour period.
Managed Care Model: The model of care whereby we act as the provider and iCare employees work alongside the Professional Carer through the provision of regularly reviewed Care Plans and Risk Assessment, clinical support and Account Management.
Mandatory Training: The statutory and minimum requirements for training that Professional Carers delivering the Managed Care Model must satisfy. Mandatory Training is reviewed annually.
Medication Administration Record: The document on which Professional Carers record any medication provided to You as part of the Managed Care Model.
Mental Capacity: For the purposes of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), a person lacks capacity in relation to a matter if at the material time he is unable to make a decision for himself in relation to the matter because of an impairment of, or disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or brain.
Nurse Manager: The qualified Nurse who oversees Initial Home Visits, reviews Managed Care Plans and supports the Professional Carer to deliver Managed Care.
Personal Care: Provision of intimate and sensitive assistance in the Activities of Daily Living, ranging from but not confined to companionship to personal hygiene, washing and dressing and nutrition.
Power of Attorney: The legal role fulfilled by the nominee of the care recipient in relation to finances and health and welfare.
Professional Carers: The term we use to describe the self-employed carers providing Personal Care through the iCare Platform.
Public Liability Insurance: Insurance that covers the cost of claims made by members of the public for incidents that occur in connection with business activities. Public liability insurance covers the cost of compensation for personal injuries and loss of or damage to property.
Registered Manager: The legal role fulfilled by Blessing Oguekwe for the purposes of Our Registration with the HSE
Regulated Activity: A service or provision of care that is subject to regulation by the HSE
Risk Assessment: The process of identifying all the risks to and from an activity, and assessing the potential impact of each risk. The iCare clinical team will create risk assessments as part of the Client assessment process for Managed care that outlines and monitors the clinical and other risks to the Care Recipient. The document is subject to regular 3 monthly review. For the introductory model, risk assessments are the responsibility of the Professional Carer.
Safeguarding: Ensuring that people live free from harm, abuse and neglect and, in doing so, protecting their health, wellbeing and human rights. Children, and adults in vulnerable situations, need to be safeguarded. Further details can be accessed in Our Safeguarding Policy
Sensitive Personal Data: personal information about You and in particular Your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature, membership of a trade union, medical or physical health or condition, sexuality or the commission or alleged commission of any offence, that is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998.
Service/s: The activities provided to you by Us and Professional Carers during the course of the contracted period, which include but are not limited to provision of Personal Care, Care Advice, Scheduling, Billing, Messaging, Care Journal, Care Plan, and Risk Assessment.
Schedule: The timings of Care Sessions agreed at the outset of the contract and modified in discussion with your Professional Carer. iCare services Care Managers will assist with scheduling for the Managed Care Model.
Statutory Breaks: Live-in carers are entitled to a 2 hour break in each 24 hours period. See Breaks further down these Terms and Conditions
Statutory Notification: The statutory requirements for Us to notify the regulator in the event of specific events or incidents. Us, We and Our: Meaning iCare Ireland
You: A Client of iCare services
By registering and using this site you confirm that:
You accept and will abide by our terms and conditions
You are 18 years old or over and have the right to form legally binding contracts under UK law. Under the introductory model of care, the care contract is between a client and the carer, with the client therefore agreeing to meet all contractual obligations
All the information provided by you on the site and to our advisors is correct and accurate, including any stated care requirements or specific needs. We reserve the right to support the withdrawal of care immediately should any information prove incorrect or inaccurate with the client liable for the statutory notice period
2. Permitted use
You are not permitted to use this website other than for the following, private, non-commercial purposes: (i) viewing this website and; (ii) sending genuine enquiries to carers regarding use of their services for your own or a care recipient's care needs (iii) making/reviewing/changing bookings; (iv) checking carer feedback and care plan completion (v) changing billing information and generating invoices where relevant and (vi) communicating with iCare representatives by phone, email or live chat to arrange bookings or seek advice.
The use of automated systems, manual copying or software to extract data from this website or iCare services for commercial purposes, (‘screen scraping’) is prohibited unless the third party has directly concluded a written licence agreement with iCare Ireland, Any breach of these terms renders the user liable for damages to be determined in the local jurisdiction.
3 Live-in Care Requirements
3.1 Live-in Care Facilities
Live-in Professional Carers have various legal rights which include (without limitation) the following: provision of a separate bedroom for them with suitable bathing and toilet facilities which are clean and in a good state of repair. Carers; require the provision of ample food and clean bedding as well as adequate cleaning materials and protective clothing to carry out the Service properly.
3.2 Live-in Break Provision
Live-in Professional Carers require a minimum 2 hours break per day. This time off must be within daylight hours. If agreed between the Client and the Professional Carer at the time of assessment some of these hours may be banked to provide longer periods of time off on fewer days, but the minimum provision must be 14 hours over a 7 day week.
3.3 Expenses
Clients and Professional Carers should agree prior to the start of a contract any expense and / or travel arrangements. Carers are advised that they should understand feeding and travel arrangements prior to starting a contract but we advise that all parties understand arrangements.
4.1 Carer selection
By registering and using iCare as a person seeking care you agree that ultimately it is your responsibility to select an appropriate Professional Carer for yourself, your family member, any friend/associate or any other person you are acting for. iCare can help you in the process of introducing and recommending carers.
4.2 Code of conduct
You should not discriminate against a carer on the basis of skin colour, nationality, disability, gender or any other potential source of discrimination. In addition, you represent and warrant that you and each member of your household have never been the subject of a complaint, restraining order or any other legal action involved with being arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any criminal offence involving violence, abuse, neglect, theft or fraud, or any offence that involves endangering the safety of others, dishonesty, negligence or drugs, and are not nor have ever been on the sex offenders register or other similar list.
We reserve the right to support the withdrawal of care immediately should We learn of any discrimination against the Professional Carer with the client liable for the statutory notice period.
4.3 Vetting and background checking of carers
iCare makes reasonable efforts to check the identity and information provided by carers. This includes visual checks of:
Identity documents to confirm the right to live and work in the Ireland.
Stated qualifications and training certificates.
iCare Ireland Requests proof of experience, training, qualifications, authorisations and suitability for the Care Recipient needs, Following up on references of carers
4.4 Insurance cover
Clients should ensure that their insurance covers carers working in their home and should verify whether carers have their own independent insurance cover.
4.5 Carer contract compliance
Once you have set up a contract and submitted it to iCare Ireland, you are bound by the terms of that contract. You must pay the upfront required monetary amount for the contract to be active. You must negotiate with Us regarding any deviations from the contract terms, e.g. time off for holiday, illness or personal circumstances.
3 Fees and Billing
3.1 Billing Cycle
You will be billed at the beginning of each week, for the care that will be delivered in the following week, depending on your preferred payment method.
3.2 Bank Holiday Charges
iCare will automatically apply a double charge to any Care Session occurring over a statutory bank holiday, as defined by the Irish Government
3.3 Payments
Contracts for work are made between the Client and iCare Ireland. By entering a contract as a Client you agree that you have the funds available to pay for the contract value. All payments for work must be made via your iCare account agreement. Any offers to pay outside of your iCare account agreement must be reported to management immediately,
3.4 Carer Rates
Rates may be subject to change but should not be changed during a contract agreement, it could change on renewal of contract it need be. must result in the termination of the current contract and a new contract must be agreed.
All cancellations must be submitted by email
4.3 Termination of contract
In instances where an ongoing contract is in place, it is our policy that both carer and client must give two weeks' notice to terminate a contract to allow both parties to make alternative arrangements. If a Client cancels a contract within the 14 day notice period, iCare reserves the right to retain collected funds in order to provide an element of income protection to the carer.
4.4 Our termination of the service
We may terminate this Agreement:
By giving 14 days’ written notice for any reason
After giving 14 days’ written notice that You have failed to pay the Fees
After giving 7 days’ written notice that We are unable to meet Your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Care Agencies
General Questions About Senior Home Care
What is senior home care?
Senior home care is non-medical care provided in the home or living facility of an elderly person. Home care agencies, like Home Care Book, provide the following types of senior home care:
Assistance with activities of daily living
Cooking, cleaning and bathing
Medication reminders
Companion services
Transportation and accompaniment to appointments
Overnight attendants
Memory care: Alzheimer’s or Dementia
Respite care
How frequently will senior home care be provided?
The amount of care is based on your needs. Our home care agency will work with you to assess your care requirements.
When can Home Care Book begin providing care?
Immediately. Give us a call at 0876326402 today.
Home Care Agency Billing Questions
Who do I pay?
You pay our home care agency directly.
How much do I pay for home care services?
Rates are dependent on the number of hours and level of care. All rates are quoted on an hourly basis.
How frequently am I billed?
You will be billed weekly.
Contact Us with Additional Questions About Home Care Agencies
Give Home Care Book a call at0876326402 with any other questions you may have regarding home care agencies and the services we provide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I arrange home care for myself or a family member?
All our offices will be happy to talk through your requirements with you over the phone and then arrange a free no-obligation assessment which will normally be carried out in your home. We suggest that at this time you involve any family members you wish, who may have some questions of their own.
Having discussed your needs and requirements we will then put together a package that suits your individual requirements and agree a start date.
Are your home care staff trained?
All our staff are trained to the national minimum standards required by the local regulatory bodies. Over and above these, staff are encouraged to undertake personal development and attend additional training courses. Specialist training courses are also provided to staff to ensure that they are fully trained to undertake more complex care needs.
Are your home care staff insured?
Yes, all our staff are fully insured for both personal and public liability.
Will I get the same carer on each visit?
Continuity is extremely important to us and to our service users and our carers are allocated to indivdiuals to ensure continuity is maintained at all times.
What sort of services do you provide?
Our services will include:-
Personal and social care
Housework and meal preparation
Bathing service
Night sitter/sleep-ins
Rehabilitation and home from hospital
Care at home (palliative care)
Alzheimer and dementia support
Holiday packages
Domestic services, such as laundry or shopping
Companionship
Prompting medication