From your first phone call to the first cup of tea.
Ten working days is our outside limit from enquiry to first visit, and usually it is quicker. Nothing is charged until after you have met the companion in person.
Answered within one working hourMeet-and-greet within five working daysFirst visit within ten
What we do, and when
You get in touch — answered within one working hour
By phone, or through the form on this site. During office hours a person replies within one working hour. Not an automated email; a reply from someone who can actually answer your question.
A twenty-minute call, the same day
We ask about the person rather than the tasks: what they enjoy, what their week looks like, what has changed lately, and what worries you. We also ask directly about falls, memory and mobility, because those tell us whether companionship is genuinely the right service or whether you need a registered care provider instead.
A free meet-and-greet at home, within five working days
The companion we have in mind comes to the house with us and you all meet properly. We explain exactly what a companion does and does not do and leave that in writing. If the two of them do not get on, we say so and try again with someone else. There is no charge for any of this and no obligation afterwards.
A simple companion plan
One page. Interests and routines, what a good visit looks like, who to call and in what order, and what is outside our scope. It is written for the companion, and you get a copy.
First visit within ten working days — then every week
Same companion, same day, same time. A short written update to your nominated contact after every visit, and a proper phone call from us once a month.
Why we insist on it, and why it is free
Matching is the whole job. A companion who shares a hometown, a trade, a language, a football team or a taste in music is worth more than any qualification, and you cannot arrange that over the phone.
So we bring the person we have in mind to the house before any money changes hands. You watch them talk to each other for half an hour. If it is not right, nobody has lost anything but an afternoon.
An assessment fee buys a provider one attempt at the match. Ours is free, so you can ask for a different companion and we will bring one.
Who you ring, and what happens
Your companion cannot come
Your named backup companion — someone you have already met — covers the visit, and we tell you before the slot, not after it.
Something is wrong at the visit
In an emergency the companion calls 999 or 111 and stays. You are called immediately afterwards, and it is written up the same day.
You are unhappy with us
Ring and say so. We answer complaints in writing within five working days, and you can end regular visits on a week's notice at any time.
Companionship is the whole job, not a line on a rota
Most home care agencies offer companionship as one item inside a care package. It is the first thing squeezed when the round runs late. We do not run a care round, so there is nothing for your visit to be squeezed by.
Doing one thing means we can say exactly what it is, in writing, before you book.
Whitegreen Companions provides non-regulated independent living support. We do not provide personal care, nursing care, clinical care or any other activity regulated by the Care Quality Commission. Our companions can remind you to take medication but never administer it. If your needs change, we will help you find a registered care provider.
Personal care is defined in regulation 2 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. If it is what your family needs, tell us and we will help you find a provider registered to give it — at no charge and with no commission to us.
Start with a conversation, not a contract
Tell us who the visits are for and where they live. If we can help, we will arrange a free meet-and-greet with the companion we have in mind. If we cannot, we will say so and point you somewhere that can.