Anchusa Care

Suite D, Gloverside, 23-25 Bury Mead Road, Hitchin SG5 1RT
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9.9 14 Reviews
  • Anchusa Care, Hitchin
Anchusa Care is an award winning home care company which rated is rated Good by the CQC with an Outstanding in the Caring category (January 2024). It was founded in 2016 with the vision of providing excellent quality care without compromise. It is a family run business providing local care staff to local clients.

The Anchusa Care team is made up of people who really do care passionately about the way services are delivered, ensuring those needing support receive it in a way that has a positive impact on their lives.

The office team has a combined more than 50 years of experience in the sector and share the same passion and values for delivering excellent quality care.

The head office is in Hitchin and there is an open-door policy for both clients and care staff.

Anchusa Care is named after the Founder's grandparents' house – Anchusa House. It was a place of love, laughter, kindness, patience and creativity. Anchusa is a small blue flower, and it is this that has been adopted as the Anchusa Care logo.

Anchusa Care is rated Good by the CQC (January 2024).

Care Provided by Anchusa Care

  • Type of Service
  • Home Care Provider
  • Privately Owned
  • Specialist Care Categories
  • Dementia
  • Domestic Services / Home Help
  • Food Preparation & Serving
  • High Dependency Care, two carers attending
  • Learning Disability
  • Medication Assistance
  • Mental Health Condition
  • Older Person Care
  • Physical Disability
  • Sensory Impairment
  • Shopping Service / Errands
  • Sit in Service
  • Other Care Provided
  • 24 Hour Care
  • Adult Home Care (18+)
  • Hospital Discharge
  • Live in Carer
  • Personal Care Assessments
  • Risk Assessments in the Home

Good to Know

  • Owner
  • Anchusa Care Ltd
  • Person in charge
  • Kelly Alexander (Managing Director)

Funding & Fees Guide for Anchusa Care

  • Prices
  • Weekdays: Week Day 1 hour £28.55 Week Day 45 mins £22.85
    Week Day 30 mins £17.15 Week Day 15 mins £11.50


    Weekends: Weekend 1 hour £30.55 Weekend 45 mins £24.45 Weekend 30 mins £18.35 Weekend 15 mins £12.25


    15 min visits are for medication prompts only
    BANK HOLIDAYS ARE CHARGED AT A TIME AND A THIRD


9.9

Anchusa Care has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.916) out of 10, based on 14 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Anchusa Care has 14 reviews.

Overall Experience

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Great care provider. Go above and beyond for all my mum's needs. Carers are lovely and friendly. Mum looks forward to seeing them. Would highly recommend this company. I believe my mum is in very safe hands.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Anchusa Care has been caring for my parents for nearly 4 years now, during which time the service and care have been excellent.
The carers who look after Mum and Dad on a daily basis are professional, caring, efficient and friendly.
I have also found the office staff to be friendly, helpful and efficient
whenever I have had a query or needed to make amendments to Mum and Dad's care.
I would not hesitate to recommend Anchusa Care to others.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Anshusa has been delivering outstanding and reliable care to our elderly father for over four years.
Services include help with dressing, bathing, medication, hydration, general well-being, coordinating servicing of mobility equipment and walking into town during social visits.
Anchusa’s presence
is a real lifeline for Dad and enables him to continue to live independently at home at the ripe age of 94. Long may this continue.
Regular carers have established a lovely rapport with Dad and are a familiar and friendly face morning, day and night.
Communication with office staff and the duty manager is excellent, and staff are always willing to go the extra mile to help.
Thank you, team Anshusa - keep up the awesome work.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Kind caring carers who were able to increase Mum's care very quickly after Mum deteriorated. Mum was reviewed to ensure the care met her needs. The carers are trustworthy and escalate any issues Mum has.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I am the full-time carer for my wife, diagnosed with severe dementia in 2021. We have been supported by Anchusa for 3 years, with 3 visits daily by two carers, 7 days a week – without fail. They give us expert care, continuity of staff, sensitivity, and humour. As a younger woman, she was feisty, forthright,
and very independent. She still is, and that’s been a challenge for care staff. But they always maximize her sense of control, empathize with her fears, and manage her cooperation expertly using creative ways of engaging. They recognize my needs as well. Managers are always available if I need them, and are proactive in getting regular feedback. Training and support seem excellent. I also appreciate that their fees for self-payers are pegged to the fees paid by the Council. Anchusa’s values seem embedded at all levels. We feel lucky we live in their catchment area.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Since we have been using Anchusa Care Ltd the service has been 1st class, and the carers who come to us are so professional and polite. They take great care in all the jobs they do for us and take the time to chat with my Mum to see how she is and if she has any issues which they might be able to help
her with and will advise me if there are any issues with my Mum.
They always clear up after themselves once the work has been done. The carers will always ask if my Mum needs a drink or anything to eat or any other jobs they can do for her.
Whenever I have spoken to the office staff I have always found them to be professional and polite to speak to. If I have any questions or issues they will always help me with the correct advice.
I would always recommend Anchusa to anybody who is looking for carers for one of their family.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The care my Mother has received to date has been excellent. Mum has enjoyed developing a relationship with her carers, of whom she fully trusts. It is reassuring for me that she has confidence in her carers and enjoys their visits. Any concerns that I or they have, are fully communicated and addressed
swiftly.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Brilliant care service for my mother that enabled her to stay in her home until the age of 95 despite some serious hospital visits. My mother could trust the carers who provided valuable support. I found Anchusa always prepared to help if any problems cropped up.

Reply from Bruce Wicks, Business Support Manager at Anchusa Care

Thank you. It was an honour to care for your mother.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 3.0 out of 5

I am dependent on carers for well-prepared meals, ranging from breakfast to evening dinner. They perform to my liking and are enthusiastic to do the satisfactory performance to my liking.
My main carer is unreliable in keeping to time, arriving only at an unpredictable time. I need reliability.

Reply from Bruce Wicks, Business Support Manager at Anchusa Care

Thank you for your kind words. Our carers always try to keep to call times but there is a built-in 30-minute window in case of unexpected events that can sometimes delay carers. We closely monitor call times and will look to make some adjustments for you if possible.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Anchusa Care came into my son's flat to care for him as he was diagnosed with MND which is a very cruel disease. They visited his flat four times a day and also through the night when required. It was always a two-carer team and a single carer through the night. Myself and my family found them to be
an excellent, professional company and very reliable, always on time, they took so much pressure off of my family. My son was bedridden and had to be hoisted on all visits which they took in their stride and would not leave until he was settled and comfortable and myself and my family cannot thank them enough.

Reply from Bruce Wicks, Business Support Manager at Anchusa Care

Thanks for your kind words. It was an absolute pleasure to care for your son.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Generally very good. Very happy with regular carers, but sometimes, when they are not here and other carers are sent, they are not as good as others.

Reply from Bruce Wicks, Business Support Manager at Anchusa Care

Thank you for your kind words. We do try where possible to keep the same carers with the individuals we care for, but sometimes, due to sickness or holidays, we need to send in other carers who may not be as familiar with your routines. We try to keep this at a minimum though.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mum suffers from dementia and just before we were about to go on holiday she got an infection and her dementia symptoms got worse. We googled local care support, looked into Anchusa and then called them at 8pm that night


I was quite upset at the time but felt very reassured by Anchusa's response

to my situation. The next morning they were able to confirm they had the resource to visit Mum at home in her village and arranged a meeting quickly, this included a risk assessment.


We had regular updates and were so happy with the service that when we were back decided to continue the daily visits. Mum enjoys their company, the team keep an eye on her whilst we are busy at work and they prepare meals for her as and when required.


Mum has always expressed she doesn't want to go in a home and it has been really reassuring that we are able to get the care and support from Anchusa that she needs, whilst remaining in her own home.


Reply from Bruce Wicks, Business Support Manager at Anchusa Care

Thank you for your kind words, it means the world to us to make a difference to the lives of the individuals we care for.


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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I found Anchusa Care to be head and shoulders above the rest, both in their friendly professionalism and the thoroughness with which my husband was treated.
I had full confidence in their punctuality and very high standards of care, always going the extra mile to ensure the comfort and well-being
of my hubby. Indeed, it was our wonderful regular carer who noted a slight change in the appearance of his skin which meant we were able to prevent pressure sores and the breakdown of his skin.
Good humour, together with nothing being too much trouble made Anchusa Care a company I wouldn’t hesitate to use again should the need arise.

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Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

Anchusa Care supplied home care after my wife broke both legs and dislocated an ankle leaving her bed bound for a number of weeks, and they were absolutely brilliant.
She was treated with dignity and compassion by their staff at all times, and nothing was too much trouble for the teams, whoever came
out to attend.
It was obvious to us that they really cared about the job and the people they were looking after and were approachable and very friendly at all times. with their attendance allowing me a welcome break during the visits.
When we were advised care at home was being arranged, we were unsure what to expect but cannot fault Anchusa Care in any way. She enjoyed their company and felt they fully understood her needs, and she could talk freely about any issues or concerns she had.
Would recommend Anchusa Care to anyone needing care in future - superb service and caring personnel.

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Current Review Score: 9.9 (9.916)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.9 (9.916) out of 10 for Anchusa Care is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 14 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 13 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Home Care Provider is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.916 for Anchusa Care is calculated as follows: ( (77 Excellents x 5) + (5 Goods x 4) + (1 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 83 Ratings = 4.916

  • b) 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5').

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows: 3 points for the first Positive Review, 2 points in total for each of the next 9 Positive Reviews (1st = 3, 2nd = 0.5, 3rd = 0.5, 4th = 0.25, 5th = 0.25, 6th = 0.1, 7th = 0.1, 8th = 0.1, 9th = 0.1, 10th = 0.1)

    The 5 points relating to the number of Positive Reviews for Anchusa Care is based on 13 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as follows: 3 + 0.5 + 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.25 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 5

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • If a Home Care Provider does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Performance

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Date: 31 Jan 2024

Overall
Good

  • Caring

    Outstanding
  • Effective

    Good
  • Responsive

    Good
  • Safe

    Good
  • Well-led

    Good

Care Quality Commission is responsible for the registration and inspection of social care services in England.

View Latest Report

Awards / Recognitions (2)

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Meet the Team (1)

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Kelly Alexander

Job Title: Managing Director

Joined: 2017

Anchusa Care’s founder, Kelly Alexander has been in the care industry for more 30 years. During this time it was always her dream to start her own home care company, based on the values she developed over her career.


The name ‘Anchusa Care’ comes from the cottage ‘Anchusa’ that belonged to her grandparents and where she and her siblings spent many happy times in a house full of love and kindness. Kelly’s goal was always to provide the kind of care that she would have expected for her own Grandparents.


Frequently Asked Questions about Anchusa Care

What Type of Services does Anchusa Care offer?

Anchusa Care offers Home Care.

How many Carers does Anchusa Care employ?

Anchusa Care employs 80 carers.