Referrals to Starling Homecare: For Health and Care Professionals
The short version
If you are arranging care for a patient or client in Hertfordshire, this page tells you what we take, how quickly we respond and what we need from you. Starling Homecare is an independent, family run provider registered with the Care Quality Commission (STARLING HOMECARE (St Albans & Harpenden), location ID 1-26096518915). The registered manager is Kelly-Anne Taylor and the nominated individual is Rupen Faldu.
We respond to a professional referral the same working day if it reaches us before 3pm, and by 10am the next working day if it arrives later. Call 01727 324 127 or email care@starlinghomecare.co.uk.
Current capacity
Updated Saturday 24 October 2026. We are taking new referrals for visiting care in St Albans, Harpenden, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Hatfield, Potters Bar (including Cuffley) and Cheshunt, and for live-in care across Hertfordshire. Start dates are confirmed at assessment. This line is updated each Monday by a member of our care management team; if the date above is more than ten days old, please call rather than rely on it.
What we take, and what we do not
What we provide
Regulated personal care and support at home: visiting care from 30 minutes, overnight care, live-in care, respite for family carers, and support for people living with dementia, FND, stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, sensory impairment and physical disability. We work alongside community nursing, therapy, neurology and discharge teams, and we can start for a defined period and stop when the arrangement is no longer needed.
Delegated healthcare tasks
Catheter and stoma bag care, PEG feeds and medication, and cleaning around a tracheostomy tube, once a named nurse has trained and signed off our carers for a named person.
What we do not provide
Nursing care; we employ no registered nurses. Nothing involving insertion, no injections and no ventilation support. Diagnosis and clinical treatment stay with the NHS team, and we liaise with them so care at home fits the clinical plan.
- Contact us. Call 01727 324 127 or email care@starlinghomecare.co.uk with the person’s name, where they live, what is needed and from when, who holds consent or authority (the person, an attorney or a deputy), the clinical teams involved, and any risks we should know before a first visit.
- We respond the same working day (before 3pm) or by 10am the next working day, with whether we can take the referral and a proposed assessment date.
- Assessment. A member of the management team assesses at home or on the ward, usually within three working days of the referral, and writes the care plan with the person and their family.
- Start. Care is usually in place within a couple of working days after assessment, subject to capacity; in an emergency a package can be set up within two working days. We confirm the start in writing to you and to the family and tell you who the lead carer is.
Hospital discharge. For discharge to assess and other time-limited arrangements, tell us the planned discharge date and whether the arrangement is council funded, NHS funded or privately funded; that changes the paperwork, not the care. Our guide to coming home from hospital with FND and our post-hospital care page describe how the first fortnight at home is organised.
We take referrals from case managers and professional deputies and provide the records a deputyship or a litigation case needs. Professional deputies are invoiced directly, every two weeks in arrears, with itemised visit records on request; bank transfer can be agreed before care starts where a direct debit is not available. Every package begins with a ninety-day arrangement in which the client can stop at any time, after which 28 days’ notice applies. Records are kept digitally, with app access for families and for those who hold authority, and we hold GP Connect access.
Who to contact
Kelly-Anne Taylor, Registered Manager, on 01727 324 127 or care@starlinghomecare.co.uk. For anything urgent about a current client outside office hours, call the same number and choose option 1.
- Send the referral to care@starlinghomecare.co.uk or call 01727 324 127.
- For a family who is still deciding, our Home Care Explained pages set out how regulated home care works, what it costs and how to choose a provider.
- Condition guides: FND care at home, stroke care, brain injury care, multiple sclerosis care and dementia care.
Sources
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, legislation.gov.uk, accessed 24 October 2026.
- Hospital discharge and community support guidance, Department of Health and Social Care, GOV.UK, accessed 24 October 2026.
How quickly can care start after a referral?
Assessment is usually within three working days of the referral and care is usually in place within a couple of working days after that, subject to capacity. In an emergency a package can be set up within two working days.
Do you take council funded or NHS funded packages?
Tell us how the arrangement is funded when you refer. The funding route changes the paperwork and who we invoice, not the care itself; we will say at the first call whether we can take that arrangement.
Can your carers carry out delegated healthcare tasks?
Catheter and stoma bag care, PEG feeds and medication, and cleaning around a tracheostomy tube, once a named nurse has trained and signed off our carers for a named person. Nothing involving insertion, no injections and no ventilation support.
Which areas do you cover?
Visiting care in St Albans, Harpenden, Hemel Hempstead, Welwyn Hatfield, Potters Bar (including Cuffley) and Cheshunt, and live-in care across Hertfordshire.
How to Get Started
- Email care@starlinghomecare.co.uk with the referral details above, or call 01727 324 127.
- We reply the same working day before 3pm, or by 10am the next working day.
- Assessment, care plan and start date follow, confirmed in writing to you and the family.
Arranging Care Is Simple
Starting care can feel like a big step. We keep it calm and straightforward, and we are here from your very first call to help you explore what might feel right, whether that is with us or simply pointing you in the right direction.
1. Talk to us
Get in touch by phone or request a callback. We will listen, answer your questions and help you understand the options, so you can decide in your own time.
2. A home visit and initial consultation
We arrange a visit to understand your routines, your home and what matters most to you. Together we agree an initial consultation and shape the support that feels right.
3. Your care begins
A small, familiar team starts your care, arriving at the agreed times and staying involved as your needs change. We remain your trusted adviser throughout.
Whenever you are ready, we are here to help.