Country Cousins Reviews 

Nothing more than an introduction agency. Poor care.

Having been working for Country Cousins, l have found Portia Mouatt as the best relationship executive.She checks up on a carer on placement and is a great listener.She provides great support.lm proud to be working under her.

At the beginning of May 2024 the live-in carer that had been with us for seven years gave us notice (28 days) that she was leaving and returning to Croatia.
We contacted Country Cousins and explained we needed a live-in carer. Long story short they sent us the CV of a carer they would highly recommend. Following a phone call with the new carer and our acceptance of her, she arrived on 28th May, the day before our carer was leaving. Since then everything has been perfect. Two weeks ago we went through a two week changeover and again this went very smoothly.

I have been very well looked after by Ola and Country Cousins. Ola is warm, kind and oustandingly helpful.

I have found County Cousins very helpful and respectful of my friends wishes and requirements.
They have always tried their best to accommodate our wishes.
We are very happy with County Cousins

I’m going to try to be fair but accurate about my disastrous experience with a live-in carer who should never, ever be in a caring role. The carer’s behaviour is one thing. My serious concerns about the Country Cousins vetting process is another.

There are three parts to becoming a client, probably incentivised independently, so it’s completely disjointed.

The first person chases your signature. Courteous, pleasant and dogged, but once you have paid the registration fee, that’s the last you hear of her.

You are then passed to those who place carers. We were offered just one ‘CV’, which was nothing more than a list of things the carer W claimed to have done – no dates, no names of organisations or employers, no references. When I requested something more substantial, I was told they couldn’t share anything with me “because of data protection”. When I pointed out that this is simply incorrect - there are no data protection reasons not to share CV details or references of a potential employee - the CC lady tried again before admitting carers are vetted by another team and she couldn’t see the results and knew nothing about what they even checked. The only detail she could tell me was that the carer was ‘compliant’, meaning legally entitled to work in the UK and clear on the DBS. “She’s a registered nurse” she told me. But had this registration been checked? No. ‘Compliant’ is a long way from the “comprehensive vetting process that includes verifying identities, checking references, conducting interviews” promised by their website. But with my mother coming out of hospital with a broken leg 48 hours later, we had little alternative but to take W as the only carer offered.

W was pleasant when interviewed by zoom and initially pleasant in the job although frequently unresponsive. She spent most of her time in her bedroom and seemed completely incapable of understanding that timing of meals was really important to my 92 year old parents, despite several, gentle-but-clear explanations. As the week wore, on she became harder to get hold of, and stopped providing even the most basic level of care.

Several times W left my mother sitting on the toilet and just disappeared. Sometimes she didn’t appear to make supper and one night couldn’t be roused to help my mother to the toilet. Another night she left my mother to get herself to bed on her own (broken leg, remember). On another occasion she left her own faeces on the toilet seat and wall and when asked to clean it up, she just walked away without speaking

My parents became fearful of asking her to do anything. When I explained to W that we no longer needed her services, it became difficult to get her to go. She wasn’t abusive or threatening but seemed drugged and very groggy. When she had finally gone I discovered two empty bottles of wine and three of spirits (mostly taken from my parents’ cabinet). W had also completely trashed her room. Lots of bedding soiled with urine, some beyond cleaning; what appeared to be piles of faeces but turned out to be pate (!) ground into the carpet; wine stains all over the wall and the carpet, which won’t come out. My belief is that she has some serious mental and emotional health problems as well as a probable drink problem.

Country Cousins did ring after a few days to check if things were OK, but I didn’t manage to speak to them before the weekend when things really deteriorated. When I told CC on Monday morning what had happened, they assured me she will not be working for them again and rightly offered to waive their fee.

The bigger question is how she was offered in the first place. Her behaviour was so extreme I find it difficult to believe her previous working life was smooth or that she had good references. My parents had a truly miserable week. Had they been less emotionally robust and/or alone, this would have been terrifying rather than just deeply unpleasant. What kind of vetting process does CC really have? The fact that you get no meaningful information and no references or testimonials means you are putting your trust in the organisation at a moment of urgent vulnerability. On the experience here, any such trust is completely misplaced.

I was promised meaningful references for possible replacements. But as I write this, over 48 hours later, I’ve heard nothing further, so as a family we have had to rally round to provide 24 hour care. This review would be 1* but at least the individuals were polite.

UPDATE 28 June 2024
Following the above review, CC made contact. First and second levels made promises they failed to deliver but then the COO of Trinity, the parent company, got involved. He apologised thoroughly and handwrote to my parents, then arranged a full refund. So my thanks to him. I suspect/hope he is making changes

Country Cousins are fantastic, they go above and beyond and always try and help as much as they can. I would highly recommend for anyone in need of care.

I have employed live in carers for my dad for 3 years. Most excellent. We have 2 particular ladies that come regularly and they are amazing. We had a 2 week gap and needed carer cover. The lady that we were recommended was absolutely fantastic. She was kind, efficient, professional, knowledgeable and just perfect. Dad has dementia and so needs a certain handling. She is welcome back any time. Thank you for sending her my way. I can not recommend her highly enough. Dad was obviously calm and happy in her presence.
We have a great set up at dad’s house but it is always a little tricky when we need a new carer. She was wonderful.

I hardly know where to begin! The carers have been amazing, clearly well trained, always patient, kind and thoughtful and cheerful companions. This despite at times being short on sleep, dealing with incontinence, falls and stubbornness from my elderly mother. Everything has been done to a high standard, from the fresh cooked meals, ensuring she is always clean, properly dressed and safe. In addition to keeping her apartment immaculate and dealing with all the laundry. As a family we will always be grateful for their wonderful care.

Care for two parents
Country Cousins gave an in depth assessment of the care needed, were upfront and clear about pricing so there were no 'hidden' costs. They allocated an excellent carer who arrived within a couple of weeks of initial contact and followed up several times to check that we were happy with the carer and progress. The initial stay period had to be extended a couple of times and this was dealt with easily. We couldn't have coped without the invaluable assistance of a live-in-carer who was patient, happy, calm and very caring in a stressful and difficult situation. I would definitely recommend this agency and would have no qualms about revisiting in the future should their help be further required.

I just want to say big thank you Louise for helping me when I desperate looking for work. I think Louise you are the best Care Coordinator in that office, very polite, approachable and friendly. Once again thank you so much.

The service offered is helpful and efficient and deals with any issues which occasionally arise with the Carers promptly and without drama, even at weekends. My usual contact at the Country Cousins office is Courtney Thompson who could not be more helpful and anxious to ensure we have Carers that are well matched to our needs.

I have been using Country Cousins for a couple of years and Courtney Thompson is my liaison there. Its not easy successfully matching a client with a carer where the chemistry works. But CC and Courtney do a great job. Furthermore, they handle last minute changes well and never seem terribly fazed. Many thanks and keep it up!

In what is almost bound to be a testing time for the family we hope that we can be provided with an efficient as well as caring service covering both administrative support and the vital work of the carers provided. Both have been first rate.

Courtney has been a pleasure to work with since she joined Country Cousins. She is proactive and empathetic and communicates in a timely manner.

It was so nice to be able to relax in the knowledge that someone was with my mother in law 24 hours a day so if she had a fall, she was not alone and would be helped. Whatever she needed, her carer was there to help. Louise Anns, operations team leader, kept in regular contact and was a friendly and helpful voice at the end of the phone. Would recommend the service and would use them again.

I work for Country Cousin for about 2 years,its has started well so in the begining they were sending work.
The first mistake that they made is ,they called me up and asked me to go somewhere as the carer will leave soon,and will send the client info by email...its never happened then i rang them they did not pick the telephone up ,left invoice ,did not rang me back.
But they give all the info to my collage....Luckily i got on well with the client and the family too.
On the 18 January Country Cousin rang me and asked me to pay Experian 50 pound because they want me to have a new DBS,I am on the online update service.Country Cousin could not explain why i have to have a new DBS. SO i asked my money back from Experian they said that to me Country Cousin has to phone them because Country Cousin can cancel . Country cousin did not get contact with them because no new DBS no money back yet.

My father received live in care for approximately two and a half years from Country Cousins before his death in December.
During that time my fathers home was treated with utter disrespect.
The bedroom used by the carers was left filthy.Air vents were covered,curtains and blinds broken and mould covered window and windowsills.
Wet washing dried on the radiator had caused the large radiator to be covered in rust requiring sanding down and repainting.
As a family we find this treatment of the family home disgusting especially when we consider how much money we have paid for this service over the years.

Really great agency to work for
Very professional liason officers

Following my conversation with Kelly R-J at Country Cousins regarding an issue I needed clarification on, Kelly provided a simple, clear and straightforward solution which I felt was absolutely the correct way forward. I wasn’t rushed and I was listened to, not just heard, which reassured me that I was speaking to the right person. Although the situation could have become complicated and stressful, Kelly was able to discuss matters with me respectfully and in a way that helped me understand this particular situation far better than I did before, so I have come away from the phone call without any further doubts or confusion. Thank you Kelly for giving me peace of mind knowing that under any circumstances, I can rely on support from you.