Country Cousins

One of the best agencies to deal with, particularly with their client rep Courtney T who has been incredibly supportive and professional. I have no hesitation in recommending Country Cousins to both Clients and Carers. You won’t be disappointed.

One of the best agencies to deal with, particularly with their client rep Courtney T who has been incredibly supportive and professional. I have no hesitation in recommending Country Cousins to both Clients and Carers. You won’t be disappointed.

Country Cousins have been helping us for nearly a year now, first with our father and now with our mother (after he died). They have been reliable, thoughtful and adaptable to our changing circumstances. They vet their carers carefully and we’ve been able to report any problems. We feel well looked after by them.

Country Cousins have been helping us for nearly a year now, first with our father and now with our mother (after he died). They have been reliable, thoughtful and adaptable to our changing circumstances. They vet their carers carefully and we’ve been able to report any problems. We feel well looked after by them.

I first employed a carer from country cousins a year ago to look after my mum, who has complicated Parkinson's & Dementia whilst I took a break, my first contact was with Sam Phillips who is brilliant as I had been let down last minute by another agency. Sam got me a carer up and running in 48 hours but not just that she understood from our conversation exactly the type of person I needed and who could offer the type of professional care I needed, I have used Country Cousins 4 or 5 times since then always speaking with Sam who is polite, professional, caring and super good at her job, I would and will continue to utilise their services

I first employed a carer from country cousins a year ago to look after my mum, who has complicated Parkinson's & Dementia whilst I took a break, my first contact was with Sam Phillips who is brilliant as I had been let down last minute by another agency. Sam got me a carer up and running in 48 hours but not just that she understood from our conversation exactly the type of person I needed and who could offer the type of professional care I needed, I have used Country Cousins 4 or 5 times since then always speaking with Sam who is polite, professional, caring and super good at her job, I would and will continue to utilise their services

My father dealt with Country Cousins directly until he got ill and then I had to get involved. He had a new carer every couple of weeks for many months and in general he was quite happy. Country Cousins were very responsive getting him the carers he needed, however a few weeks ago when he became ill he ended up with 3 live-in carers which was ridiculous and expensive. This was because he apparently needed 2 in the daytime (he needed hoisting) and one at night. The situation was completely over the top. One carer kept complaining that she was overtired (there were 3 of them) and rather than easing the load it was instead incredibly stressful. The carers were falling out with eachother and complaining to me about the others and the situation became untenable. (So we moved him to respite care and then to a permanent nursing home). No care review was made by the agency to properly assess his needs and they were happy to just keep billing my father for hundreds of pounds every week and send in more help when demanded by the carers in situ. When I emailed asking for clarification on the fees charged, I never received a reply. I am still waiting. All is fine with Country Cousins unless you have an issue then I would say crisis-management and responding to queries is very poor.

My father dealt with Country Cousins directly until he got ill and then I had to get involved. He had a new carer every couple of weeks for many months and in general he was quite happy. Country Cousins were very responsive getting him the carers he needed, however a few weeks ago when he became ill he ended up with 3 live-in carers which was ridiculous and expensive. This was because he apparently needed 2 in the daytime (he needed hoisting) and one at night. The situation was completely over the top. One carer kept complaining that she was overtired (there were 3 of them) and rather than easing the load it was instead incredibly stressful. The carers were falling out with eachother and complaining to me about the others and the situation became untenable. (So we moved him to respite care and then to a permanent nursing home). No care review was made by the agency to properly assess his needs and they were happy to just keep billing my father for hundreds of pounds every week and send in more help when demanded by the carers in situ. When I emailed asking for clarification on the fees charged, I never received a reply. I am still waiting. All is fine with Country Cousins unless you have an issue then I would say crisis-management and responding to queries is very poor.

The Understanding Dementia Webinar was very helpful in giving guidance as to positively responding to my mother's mood changes and understanding that her mind plays tricks on her. I also had not realised that vision is affected as well as memory. Overall very informative.

The Understanding Dementia Webinar was very helpful in giving guidance as to positively responding to my mother's mood changes and understanding that her mind plays tricks on her. I also had not realised that vision is affected as well as memory. Overall very informative.

What an absolutely amazing team!! Lauren Amy White has been so understanding and quick to support my brother and I to bring our Mum home from hospital after a long stint there. And the two carers who stepped forward, Sue and Stennie? Earth Angels. These two magnificent human beings have transformed not only my mother's life but also her children's and grand children's... the ripple effect. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you

What an absolutely amazing team!! Lauren Amy White has been so understanding and quick to support my brother and I to bring our Mum home from hospital after a long stint there. And the two carers who stepped forward, Sue and Stennie? Earth Angels. These two magnificent human beings have transformed not only my mother's life but also her children's and grand children's... the ripple effect. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you

Everyone at Country Cousins has been very kind and helpful. They have taken the time and trouble to try and find the right carers for my father. We would use them again.

Everyone at Country Cousins has been very kind and helpful. They have taken the time and trouble to try and find the right carers for my father. We would use them again.

I have been caring with Country Cousins for 11 years. The office staff have always been amazing and supportive. Being a live-in carer is not always easy and we find our selves in all sorts of difficult situations. We always endeavor to create a happy client/carer situation ensuring the client's comfort, health and safety are in the forefront of what we do. Without the wonderful support of the staff we would not be as able to do this.

I have been caring with Country Cousins for 11 years. The office staff have always been amazing and supportive. Being a live-in carer is not always easy and we find our selves in all sorts of difficult situations. We always endeavor to create a happy client/carer situation ensuring the client's comfort, health and safety are in the forefront of what we do. Without the wonderful support of the staff we would not be as able to do this.

I have worked for Country Cousins since 2008 and have always found the staff in the office very helpful. They are implementing changes so we will all be working to the same standard, which is a good thing for carer and the client. The carers all range in age and experience but have go to the mandatory training before they can accept an assignment. It is up to the carer to inform the agency if they are not up to accepting a particular position. As all clients are different, so are the carers and they do try to match carer to client. It is up to the clients representative to be honest with the office as to the level of care their person requires. As a retired nurse I have no problems working through this agency and always try to do the best possible job I can and treat the client the way I would have liked my parents to be treated.

I have worked for Country Cousins since 2008 and have always found the staff in the office very helpful. They are implementing changes so we will all be working to the same standard, which is a good thing for carer and the client. The carers all range in age and experience but have go to the mandatory training before they can accept an assignment. It is up to the carer to inform the agency if they are not up to accepting a particular position. As all clients are different, so are the carers and they do try to match carer to client. It is up to the clients representative to be honest with the office as to the level of care their person requires. As a retired nurse I have no problems working through this agency and always try to do the best possible job I can and treat the client the way I would have liked my parents to be treated.

Charged an initial registration fee of £220, which other similar agencies do not. After a few weeks I was given a "new" contact name and email address (but no telephone number) to deal with regarding ongoing care needs. I was told she would make contact with me, but received none. My emails TO her went into her "junk" mailbox for FIVE WEEKS until I started investigating why I wasn't getting any replies. The staff I have dealt with at Country Cousins are a little on the "pushy" side, and they get contractual regarding complaints. Not recommended.

Charged an initial registration fee of £220, which other similar agencies do not. After a few weeks I was given a "new" contact name and email address (but no telephone number) to deal with regarding ongoing care needs. I was told she would make contact with me, but received none. My emails TO her went into her "junk" mailbox for FIVE WEEKS until I started investigating why I wasn't getting any replies. The staff I have dealt with at Country Cousins are a little on the "pushy" side, and they get contractual regarding complaints. Not recommended.

I have recently used Country Cousins to introduce me to a carer to take care of my parents for one week after my mother's recent hip operation. A couple of my friends have used Country Cousins to look for a carer for their mothers also after a hip operations, my friends had a told me that the carers had been "adequate", they didn't set the world alight, but they did the job of caring for the patients personal needs etc. I was therefore not expecting a dynamic person, but I was expecting a person who was able to care for my parents. The carer sent to look after my parents was a 71 year old lady, who was extremely unfit, along with having high blood pressure, diabetes. The lady was worn out after climbing the stairs on her arrival at 6.00pm (she was due to arrive at 4.00pm), didn't bode well. The next morning my mother asked to help her get up and wash, she asked the carer to help lift a light chair, she wasn't capable of doing this, without get extremely out of breath. Everything physical was an effort, not what you expect from a carer. Her good points she was a good cook, and not an unpleasant person, although her moods went up and down like a yoyo. She arrived on a Sunday, on Tuesday after lunch Nina became very unwell, she was sick (which my father had to clear up) and she called an ambulance/paramedics as she felt so ill, it was at this time Nina told my parents about her ill health. This whole episode caused my parents an enormous amount of stress. I called Country Cousins to inform them, all they could say was they were an introduction agency of self employed people, they didn't carry out health checks. As far as I can see, everybody is just a number to Country Cousins, the carers and the people to be cared for. There is NOTHING personal or caring about this company, they are just out there to take your money. I asked as a point of principle for a refund of my £180 joining fee (and it isn't the money I am worried about), I wanted them to take responsibility, make a gesture of goodwill with the refund, show that the company had a personal caring touch to them. There was no way they could do a refund, it sums up this company, there is nothing I repeat, personal or caring. The pleasant voices that answer the phone are just a façade. I also want them to change their systems to incorporate a health check of their ageing carers, to stop the same situation happening again.

I have recently used Country Cousins to introduce me to a carer to take care of my parents for one week after my mother's recent hip operation. A couple of my friends have used Country Cousins to look for a carer for their mothers also after a hip operations, my friends had a told me that the carers had been "adequate", they didn't set the world alight, but they did the job of caring for the patients personal needs etc. I was therefore not expecting a dynamic person, but I was expecting a person who was able to care for my parents. The carer sent to look after my parents was a 71 year old lady, who was extremely unfit, along with having high blood pressure, diabetes. The lady was worn out after climbing the stairs on her arrival at 6.00pm (she was due to arrive at 4.00pm), didn't bode well. The next morning my mother asked to help her get up and wash, she asked the carer to help lift a light chair, she wasn't capable of doing this, without get extremely out of breath. Everything physical was an effort, not what you expect from a carer. Her good points she was a good cook, and not an unpleasant person, although her moods went up and down like a yoyo. She arrived on a Sunday, on Tuesday after lunch Nina became very unwell, she was sick (which my father had to clear up) and she called an ambulance/paramedics as she felt so ill, it was at this time Nina told my parents about her ill health. This whole episode caused my parents an enormous amount of stress. I called Country Cousins to inform them, all they could say was they were an introduction agency of self employed people, they didn't carry out health checks. As far as I can see, everybody is just a number to Country Cousins, the carers and the people to be cared for. There is NOTHING personal or caring about this company, they are just out there to take your money. I asked as a point of principle for a refund of my £180 joining fee (and it isn't the money I am worried about), I wanted them to take responsibility, make a gesture of goodwill with the refund, show that the company had a personal caring touch to them. There was no way they could do a refund, it sums up this company, there is nothing I repeat, personal or caring. The pleasant voices that answer the phone are just a façade. I also want them to change their systems to incorporate a health check of their ageing carers, to stop the same situation happening again.

I joined my father as he was in need of a live in carer and it was a big step, being fiercely independent. I had heard good things about the company. My experience was upsetting and only added to the stressful time. I concluded that the company used to be exactly what it said it was, but with the vast need for carers and an aging population, it has now reverted to a very basic service and the whole “matching process” (their unique selling point at that time) was impossible to achieve. My experience was the following: With great emphasis on matching the right carer to the customer, and the initial information collected was very thorough, so it was disappointing that the only person offered initially did not have a scrap of anything in common with my father. He was interested in books, classical music, piano etc, only liked plain English food etc etc, basically what we would refer to as “old school”. The person put forward (who you can only have a telephone conversation with, and then you have to appoint or reject which clearly puts you in an embarrassing situation if you don’t think it would work), thought plain English food was Lasagna and liked pop music. Even the administrator admitted it wasn’t a good match, especially as he had never had a carer before and the first one has to be especially suitable. I was then basically forgotten about, and when I prompted a response, I received apologies but I had lost faith in their service. Of course I could have complained and demanded my money back but when your father is dying and you are in a horrible place, you have to prioritise. I did not feel that the people at head office were at all trying to match people’s needs, and it was more about just trying to find someone, anyone. I’m not saying these people weren’t nice, I’m sure they were. Prior to signing up, I had been given examples of ex piano teachers and people who loved baking and cooking from fresh, it all sounded very wholesome and lovely, just like having a relative coming to stay. Finally making a big deal if it being a “lifetime” membership, I feel is insensitive given that the majority of people needing carers, will probably be nearing the end of their lives. All in all, my experience with those employed to make the placements, was really poor and I just felt this was a nice little earner for someone, but a service which might have been good once, was in disarray.

I joined my father as he was in need of a live in carer and it was a big step, being fiercely independent. I had heard good things about the company. My experience was upsetting and only added to the stressful time. I concluded that the company used to be exactly what it said it was, but with the vast need for carers and an aging population, it has now reverted to a very basic service and the whole “matching process” (their unique selling point at that time) was impossible to achieve. My experience was the following: With great emphasis on matching the right carer to the customer, and the initial information collected was very thorough, so it was disappointing that the only person offered initially did not have a scrap of anything in common with my father. He was interested in books, classical music, piano etc, only liked plain English food etc etc, basically what we would refer to as “old school”. The person put forward (who you can only have a telephone conversation with, and then you have to appoint or reject which clearly puts you in an embarrassing situation if you don’t think it would work), thought plain English food was Lasagna and liked pop music. Even the administrator admitted it wasn’t a good match, especially as he had never had a carer before and the first one has to be especially suitable. I was then basically forgotten about, and when I prompted a response, I received apologies but I had lost faith in their service. Of course I could have complained and demanded my money back but when your father is dying and you are in a horrible place, you have to prioritise. I did not feel that the people at head office were at all trying to match people’s needs, and it was more about just trying to find someone, anyone. I’m not saying these people weren’t nice, I’m sure they were. Prior to signing up, I had been given examples of ex piano teachers and people who loved baking and cooking from fresh, it all sounded very wholesome and lovely, just like having a relative coming to stay. Finally making a big deal if it being a “lifetime” membership, I feel is insensitive given that the majority of people needing carers, will probably be nearing the end of their lives. All in all, my experience with those employed to make the placements, was really poor and I just felt this was a nice little earner for someone, but a service which might have been good once, was in disarray.

Great Service and excellent client and carer pairing Lauren white is always very helpful and quick to respond I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone

Great Service and excellent client and carer pairing Lauren white is always very helpful and quick to respond I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone

I just called this company to enquire about a carer job. I was told each assignment is for the duration of 8 or 12 weeks with no day off. And the pay is £95 per day for up to 12 hours shifts, but it could be longer. Carers wil have one to two hours break per day. Carers have to pay for all the training, a DBS and their own taxes. Carers are usually paid when the assignment ends. If you don’t believe me call them and pretend to be a carer, that’s what I’ve just done because I could not believe when someone who worked for them told me about the working ethnic of this company.

I just called this company to enquire about a carer job. I was told each assignment is for the duration of 8 or 12 weeks with no day off. And the pay is £95 per day for up to 12 hours shifts, but it could be longer. Carers wil have one to two hours break per day. Carers have to pay for all the training, a DBS and their own taxes. Carers are usually paid when the assignment ends. If you don’t believe me call them and pretend to be a carer, that’s what I’ve just done because I could not believe when someone who worked for them told me about the working ethnic of this company.

Really recommend Country Cousins if you need extra professional care for a loved one.

Really recommend Country Cousins if you need extra professional care for a loved one.

All the carers at country-cousins are top class. Have been working with country-cousins for over 10 years and have met some amazing carers, who have done excelent work and may they continue to do so. 😍 …

All the carers at country-cousins are top class. Have been working with country-cousins for over 10 years and have met some amazing carers, who have done excelent work and may they continue to do so. 😍 …