Ask Sheila 
Sheila will try to answer as many of your English Social Care questions as possible, giving priority to frequently asked questions and questions regarding current events and trends.
Does helping someone put on a coat and get into a taxi mean I am delivering ‘personal care’?
Hi Sheila, could you confirm that helping an older person to put on an outer coat and helping them by the arm to get to a taxi would not be described as personal care. Having seen a previous answer of yours, these simple actions do not appear to be intimate.
Hi Dave,
Thank you for your question.
This is my opinion. Helping someone put on an overcoat or assisting them to get into a taxi is not personal care.
This is the Department of Health's definition of personal care:
"Personal Care includes: assistance with dressing, feeding, washing and toileting, as well as advice, encouragement and emotional and psychological support. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) defines this as attention required in connection with bodily functions."
I think that this answers your question.
Best wishes.
Sheila
*All information is correct at the time of publishing.
What would you like to ask Sheila?
Sheila Scott OBE from National Care Association (NCA). Care is Sheila’s life; she possesses a strong command of the issues facing the care sector informed by her long career as a nursing professional, the owner and manager of a care business and as a leader in the care sector.
Sheila will try to answer as many of your questions as possible, giving priority to frequently asked questions and questions regarding current events and trends.
Please note that Sheila can not offer answers to matters requiring legal advice. If your matter concerns a specific service provider, please contact the CQC.
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