Country Cousins Reviews 

The experience with Country Cousins has been fantastic and the quality of carers provided superb.
A huge thank you to Sylvie for sorting everything out and keeping me informed throughout the process.
I would definitely recommend for anyone sorting out live in care for their loved ones.

I can honestly say, having paid the assignment fee and assigned a direct debit mandate I had absolutely no contact from Country Cousins whatsoever.
I resorted to phoning the new client line and spoke to four different people giving
Me four different stories I wasn’t given any contact details.
Staff allocating a carer, supposedly, ignored four messages just asking what they did next ..,.,
My
Mother is frail and 96 and has an irreplaceable South African carer who is returning home, in two weeks, for two months.
If I had not made the call yesterday I’m unsure what would have happened, if anything.
I was sent the ‘profile’ of a carer - five lines of trite sentences not giving any information about her experience, personality, care interest at all.
As I didn’t have a service at all I asked for a refund and was warned that as they’d emailed one profile they may deduct funds. I WAS FURIOUS AND TOLD THRM THAT SHOULD NOT OCCUR.

We've not used Country Cousins before but signed up a carer well before we needed to go away. The carer arrived this morning, with her husband in tow, and lasted about half an hour before complaining that our dogs had slept on her bed (this is not the case, as they are not allowed in the bedroom, but this was someone who rhapsodised in her CV about how she looked after clients' dogs - something she would not have to have done in this case as we're kennelling them). She then left. I understand from Country Cousins that carers aren't allowed to bring partners with them, or leave without arranging a handover. I have informed the 'carer' that she is clearly in the wrong job.

To do them justice, CC did take this very seriously and have tried to find a replacement (we are leaving first thing tomorrow morning). Fortunately a friend has stepped in but I would suggest that if you are to use this agency, to avoid being let down at the last moment, you arrange a home visit beforehand and check the person's experience and expectations.

We have never had an issue with a live-in carer before, and the woman's attitude was more akin to someone who has found herself in a substandard AirBnB for a holiday, not a job for which she is being paid. When I spoke to her on the phone, she seemed more interested in the Wifi access than in my mother's details.

Update: Country Cousins have now issued a full apology and have made it clear that this is not the approach they welcome from their staff. They are issuing me with a full refund.

Hello, I am disappointed with the care I got with country cousins. I have used many care agencies and I am used to the ups and downs that comes with working with people from all walks of life and used to caring for people with more severe needs than I have.

I feel obliged about the positives as there were a few, my cousin got that i was independent straight away and that I did not need prompting, I could meet up with my friends independently and go to work on my own accord.

However, the rudeness and the persistent unprofessional way in which my personal and social care was delivered is not what I expected. I got told on several occasions that my underwear was too small, that I would benefit from an electric tooth brush every time I brushed my teeth. I would not accept this from a friend let alone someone I have just met. Also a Carer is meant to maintain dignity and respect at all times, does this seem to be the case.

Sadly the placement came to an early ending because the carer refused to help me join in on my weekly game of sports saying that it was not on that I was expecting a cousin to engage in a sport (which I was not) i was hoping as with all my PA's that they would be on hand to support me to do the things that I would struggle with.

as the pandemic is still around, I cannot guarantee I will use this service again, as with all disabled people, shortages of care staff is a given. But I hope that next time, my cousins will actually support me to engage in activities appropriately.
All cousins/ carers need to be professional and understanding it is a big deal having strangers in your house.
If you are not prepared for yourself as a young adult, stay away from this service.

Very disappointing.
There are some great “cousins” & some who really should not be doing the job. My dad had dementia & we used Country Cousins until late November 2020. He has now sadly died.
We used CC for about 2 years. One terrible experience was with a woman who came to look after him & really was a bully & worse mocked him & laughed at him whilst he was naked on a contraption to assist with moving a patient from one place another called a “Sarah Steady”.
Patient dignity obviously must have escaped her.
My elderly mum who is also 94 & who has full mental capacity has been left traumatised by that particular “cousin” being in the home.
Another “cousin” accused my mum of being “lazy” for not doing any ironing! (Age 94)
As pointed out when these incidents were reported to country cousins... they are only an introductory agency & all “cousins” are self employed.
I would have expected more scrutiny however particularly since Country Cousins is affiliated to Saga.
After all the people who need help are in the main a vulnerable group of people.

We were cautioned about them by our hospital as they do not participate in the Care inspection process and are not regulated. They introduce carers for 2 weeks for substantial fees to very vulnerable adults who may be physically helpless and mentally confused. Because it’s claiming introduction status only, maybe CC can dodge out. I don’t think that’s safe. There was no effort to match carers to my relative, some were lovely, just right, but it’s it’s hit and miss. I don’t think it’s fair the care package fee is not all-inclusive carers can add on a lot of extras so you don’t know what the final bill is going to be. There should be an inclusive package or there can be carers motivated by money mainly, as a few obviously were. The organisations CC belong to are advertising, promotion and resource agencies, not inspectors.

I was faced with the heart wrenching decision to look into 'live in care' for my mum, who has Alzheimer's. Country Cousins have been so caring and attentive to my mum's needs and have sourced the most appropriate carers to look after her challenging needs. The weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I no longer feel alone. I cannot recommend Country Cousins highly enough.

Difficult question to answer as, technically, I have only had contact with two people employed by Country Cousins. Charlotte Bastin who was efficient and informative and Kelly Rossi-Jones the local contact person who has been very efficient and helpful at all stages.
If you want a response with regard to your ladies I can only say that it has been a mixed bag. I think that you should possibly be more intrusive when assessing potential ladies to recommend to your clients especially as these ladies whilst being self employed are actually the face of your organisation as far as the general populace are concerned. We have been visited by five ladies so far, two of whom have been just what one wants. Considerate, attuned to the clients wishes and situation and friendly without being over familiar. The other three seem to have come with set ideas upon how they want to run things and have done just that without much regard to the personal requirements of the client where they do not coincide with their pre-planned manner of dealing with clients.One was very efficient but did not really 'fit in' she seemed to be at a loss on how to deal with a second person, me, being present. The other two became a bit over familiar, did things as they wanted as when they wanted with not a lot of regard for the clients personal situation, ie. sit her in front of the TV then leave her alone until the next cup of tea or whatever. Also, and more serious, I have reason to suspect, although I cannot prove it nor do I wish to pursue it further, that both have 'sticky fingers' in that things have disappeared or cannot be found now. I would not have either of them back in the house and would worry if they were in a one to one situation with a client with mental or mobility problems as they, the client, would not know that things may have disappeared.

My mom had gotten to the point of needing 24/7 care at home as well as personal care. She suffers from dementia and her mobility has reduced significantly. I didn't want her to go into a care home so was looking for a solution where she could stay at home but be well cared for. From the start Country Cousins were amazing. I can't rate Country Cousins carers and overall service highly enough. The carers are all very experienced. They took the initiative liaising with: social services re equipment provision; the district nurse re assessments; GP re prescription review; and the OT re equipment and exercises. The carers bought all my moms food and were thoughtful in providing food she wanted while also cooking and providing healthy food where possible. The carers stayed for 2-3 weeks in rotation with the same carers coming back regularly for continuity. They each made a lovely connection with my mom and their presence greatly enhanced my mom's quality of life. They were all highly professional but at the same time genuinely caring. I had become a back up carer for my mom which I found distressing at times. With help from the Country Cousins carers, I could visit my mom with her grandkids and enjoy time with her, without necessarily taking on this role. Each carer genuinely feels like part of the family and make visits to my mom a joy for me and the kids even when my mom is having a bad day.

We asked Country Cousins to find us a carer at very short notice due to the nature of my Uncle's illness. The agency were amazing and found us a wonderful carer within a few days who was able to look after my Uncle from the moment he came out of hospital until the end. She was delightful, kind and thoroughly professional. She cared beautifully for my Uncle and worked very efficiently with all other carers and agencies involved in his treatment. We found the agency easy to deal with, approachable, quick to react to our needs and always willing to make changes, although this is not something we ever needed them to do. I cannot recommend Country Cousins highly enough.

Helpful, professional and supportive from first contact. Sadly didn’t use their live in service as planned as had to move my mother into a care home.

I would definitely recommend this amazing team to friends and family. The management team have been very efficient, supportive and sensitive. We have had 2 wonderful caregivers staying with my Mum. They were very caring, gentle, and lovely companions. Mum regularly said they were "splendid". Mum's needs were constantly changing and they were very flexible. They kept a daily diary and sent me regular messages with updates. All were very supportive to me and my brother.

I am writing this as a fully qualified carer in the community. A lady I was looking after had recently needed to have a dull time live in carer. All family living over 3 hours away I offered to keep in contact with her and pop in to check and report back on her wellbeing. The first carer she had didn't want to let me in (covid restriction) but did on one occasion. another time I turned up to fine the carer had gone shopping and had locked her in and taken the key with her. She was asked by the lady's son to leave and a replacement was sent. This one had no understanding of dementia. the first thing she did was re arrange the cupboards/ her whole demeanour was that of a sergeant major (slight exaggeration but you get what I mean). There was no kindness in tone of voice or actions. When this lady refused to go to bed she rang me for help and the tried to get me to help forcibly left her out of her chair. This is not how I have been trained and I refused to let this happen. Please don't use them for your loved ones. The may be relatively cheap compared to some but its not worth the risk.

Very disappointed in the service received. Carer was not matched to my husbands needs. Far too familiar and even though asked to use her own sitting room insisted on sitting with muyhusband all the time. giving him no space.Took our little dog to her bedroom over fed them with treats non of which was her responsibility. She even upset our gardener.Country Cousins made plenty of contact before placement i.e. payments etc but no follow up.

Sadly this outfit failed to understand the complex issues associated with dementia, despite their claims of introducing highly experienced carers. With a few exceptions, most of the carers provided were unable to cope with the occasional challenging behaviour exhibited by my mother and indeed often provoked it due to inexperience and lack of understanding of the condition and a failure to provide basic personal hygiene care. Country Cousins is not regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and has also recently had their membership of the Dementia Action Alliance (DAA) revoked. If you have a relative suffering from dementia who is quiet, undemanding, amenable and compliant, then a Country Cousin may be a suitable agency to contact. Otherwise, look elsewhere, check reviews, be serious about interviewing a proposed carer and don’t be afraid to challenge the agency and its proposals. Avoid agencies which claim to be “introductory” as this only gives them the excuse to deny any responsibility for things when they go wrong. Country Cousins, in my and my mother’s experience, is one to avoid.

We stopped using CC Dec '18. 28 carers in 18 mths for our mother who has dementia, 19 attended. CCs website promotes expertise in dementia care. Only a few carers recommended had enough experience. No consistency, a lack of resources, poor comms between CC, carer & client & inefficient & inept admin. A closer look at their website show misrepresentation. Carers’ CVs reveal cut & pasted script with the same mistakes questioning CCs due diligence & checks. We sought advice from Saga who hid behind the same excuse as CC; that they are an introductory agency whose carers are self-employed. CCs website stated membership of the DAA. We contacted them. CCs lack of response to their enquiry on our behalf means CC are now no longer members of the DAA & have been asked to remove any connection with them from their website. CC are not registered with the CQC, are lacking in quality control & there is no backup from Saga. Extreme caution if requiring good quality, consistent dementia care.

Very poor. This used to be an excellent company but has fallen well below the standards expected. I only noticed recently that Saga which took over the company a couple of years ago has given a profit warning. Enough said.

I’ve had mixed experiences with office staff and communication. Some staff really know what they are doing and get things done however I get the feeling a few need training on good communication and how to achieve successful outcomes.

A special thank you must go to a few excellent office staff who are doing their best to manage this difficult care sector in the face of adversity. - We’ll done to those few.

I have been a Country Cousins Carer for the past 12 years and happy to be part of the team. Caring for my clients is a privilege and a very rewarding vocation. Their safety, health, wellbeing and happiness in their home is of upmost importance, as is their dignity and showing respect for their home and their habits. We are regularly updated with our training to comply with government regulations and legislation, especially in Moving and Handling and the Safety of Vulnerable Adults. Country Cousins have always had an excellent reputation.

In recent months there have been some glitches due to upgrading, but the office staff have been working hard to overcome the problems and to ensure the carers are happy and our clients are getting the very best care and support.

I would like to thank Country Cousins for an excellence service.

I am a Country Cousin. I really enjoy my work, I love working in the home of my lovely clients. Whilst I am with my client I do everything in my power to provide, good home cooking, happy companionship assisting my client with their every need. I also become friend,guardian, housekeeper and confidant. I am proud of the excellent service we are providing.

The Customer Service Team are also hard working team whose ultimate aim is to find a suitable Country Cousin for a client.