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Frequently asked questions

We are still in the early access phase so if you have questions please check our FAQs in the first instance and if you still need help please email us.

Getting set up

How do I subscribe to HiCarer to set up a new support circle?
  • If you are creating a new support circle for your loved one you will need to set up a subscription first which you can do on our website. Please subscribe at www.hicarer.co.uk. We use Stripe to set up monthly Subscription payments.
  • Then download the HiCarer app to your phone from your app store. 
  • Open the app and when you get to the page where you are asked for your email address please ensure you use the same one with which you subscribed. You will then be able to create an account and will have access to all the app features. 
Do I need to use the same email address to register on the app that I used to set up the subscription?
  • Yes, the email address you subscribed with is the same one you will need to register with on the app.
  • If you provided an incorrect or mistyped email during subscription, please contact us via email with your details for assistance and we will resolve this for you.
How do I join a Support Circle on the HiCarer app?
  • If you are joining an existing Support Circle to help care for somebody then the Support Circle Lead (HiCarer subscriber) will first need to invite you to join using your email address. 
  • If you have received an email confirming you have been invited to join a Support Circle then please download the HiCarer app from your app store.  
  • Open the app and when you get to the page where we ask for your email address please ensure you use the same one with which you were invited to join so we can verify you are joining an existing Support Circle. You will then be able to create a HiCarer account and will have access to all the app features available to a Support Circle Member. 
What details should I use when creating a HiCarer account?
  • Add your own personal details when you register on the app, as opposed to the details of the person who needs care. You will be able to add these later within the app if you are the Support Circle Lead/Subscriber. 
  • An authentication code will be sent to the email address that you have provided – you’ll need to input this code at the end of account creation. 
Can I use a different email address to my Apple ID or Google Play Store ID, when I create my HiCarer account?
  • Yes, you can use a different email address when you register on the app, however if you are a Support Circle Member you need to use the same email address with which you were invited to use the app by the Support Circle Lead/Subscriber.
What do I do if I don’t receive my authentication code?
  • Please check your junk mail first but if you haven't received your authentication code email then please use the link on the authentication page to receive a new one. If you are still having difficulties receiving it then please contact us by email confirming the email address with which you registered on the HiCarer app.
  • If you have accidentally mistyped your email address then this could be another reason you have not received it – in which case if you start the registration process again and input the email address correctly then you should receive the authentication code.  
I forgot my password, what should I do?
  • Email us confirming the email address you registered with on HiCarer and we will reset it for you
  • You will then receive an email to set up a new password. 
Do I need to pay for the app?
  • The Support Circle Lead (HiCarer subscriber) will need to pay for the app on a monthly basis. 
  • This allows them to invite up to 5 more people to the Support Circle, including 1 paid carer. If you are invited to join an existing Support Circle then you will be able to use the app for free. 
  • If you have been given a subscription code by your Local Authority then please email us to set up your account. 
What does ‘early access’ mean?
  • Early access means you are some of the lucky first users of our app! This means you get it for a significantly reduced price if you are the Support Circle Lead/HiCarer subscriber. It is free for Support Circle Members.
  • We would appreciate any feedback you have on how we can improve HiCarer to help you manage care - you can either send us feedback in the app or by sending us an email.
Can I log in on more than one device?
  • Yes you can sign in with your log in details across multiple devices and you will be able to access and edit your data from each device. 
Why can't I log in to the HiCarer app?
  • If you need to reset your password then please email us confirming the email address you registered with on HiCarer and we will reset it for you. You will receive an email to set up a new password.
  • You need to be online to log into HiCarer, so if you don’t have an internet connection you won’t be able to log in. Please check your connection and try again.
Can I use the app if I’m not connected to the internet?
  • No, you must have an internet connection to make any changes in the HiCarer app. You can only view existing information if you’re not online.
  • If you are updating, adding, or deleting information within the app, this won't work without an internet connection as the changes won’t be saved. Please ensure you're connected and try again.

Understanding care and support needs

Where can I add the details of the person who needs care?
  • The best place to start is the ‘Tell us who needs care’ (Who is who) section within the app where you can add information about the person who requires help. You can access this from the homepage of the app. 
  • You can edit the personal details for the person who needs care, for example their address, at any time by coming back to this section and changing your answers. This will automatically be saved and updated. 
How do I assess what the individual's care needs are?
  • Understanding someone’s care needs can seem daunting, but the app breaks it all down. You may want to do this all in one go, or do it a little bit at a time – either is fine.
  1. Firstly, tell us who needs care.
  2. If you have people who can help, it’s useful to add them to the Support Circle before you start looking at the care and support needs, but don’t worry you can add them later instead if you need to.
  3. From the homescreen choose ‘What [name] Needs’ and then pick a section to work through.

  • You can complete this section in your order of preference and you can come back to edit this section when any care needs change. Your progress will always be saved. 
  • You can also share or download the care needs assessment at any time which will provide you with a handy PDF document collating all the information you have added so far. This is a useful document to share with friends, family and professionals such as local authorities.
How can I print or share the care needs with other people?
  • You can also download a PDF of your answers at any time to share with family, professionals, and local authorities. Download your answers using the icon in the top right hand corner for the care needs assessment section. This will collate them into a handy, easy to read PDF file.
  • You can then send the PDF to friends, family or professionals via email or WhatsApp etc via your phone in the same way you would any other document.
The individual's care needs have changed, how do I update them?
  • A Care Needs Assessment is a living document and should be regularly reviewed and updated.
  • You can access it at any time from the top of the app homepage or from the app menu by tapping 'Edit care and support needs'. This will take you back to the care needs assessment where you can make changes.
  • You may want to download a version of the existing care needs assessment before you make changes so you have a record of what has changed and in what timeframe. For example if there is a deterioration in health, it will be easier to identify this if you have the previous and latest care needs assessments to compare. 
How do I access my saved Care Needs Assessment PDF files?
  • Download your answers using the icon in the top right hand corner for the care needs assessment section. This will collate them into a handy, easy to read PDF file.

Support Circles

What is a Support Circle?
  • A Support Circle is the group of key people around your loved one who can help you manage their care, whether it’s a friend or neighbour helping out with small regular tasks or a paid carer who will be making daily or weekly visits. 
  • The Support Circle Lead (HiCarer Subscriber) chooses who to invite to the Support Circle. They can be Support Circle Contacts (for example the GP) who make up part of the extended circle and do not have access to the app or Support Circle Members who have access to the shared care diary.

What is the difference between a Support Circle Contact and a Support Circle Member?
  • A support Circle Member is someone who has one of the 6 ‘seats’ within the app. Those individuals will have access to the app and therefore the shared care diary and are likely to have tasks assigned to them to help manage the care of your loved one. 
  • A Support Circle Contact is a vital contact for the person who needs care, but who does not need access to the app.  Therefore they form part of the extended support circle. You would want to put details of the GP, District Nurse etc as Support Circle Contacts, you may also want to put in details of individuals who help out with occasional tasks – such as putting the bins out, or doing a bit of shopping, so that you can show that they are doing a task, but they don’t need access to the app to do it.
How many people can be in the Support Circle?
  • You can have up to 6 people in the Support Circle, including the Support Circle Lead (HiCarer subscriber) and this can include one paid carer. 
  • The person who requires care does not count as one of the 6 people (unless they are the Support Circle Lead/Subscriber), but they will also be included in the Support Circle in case there are tasks you can assign to them like taking medication, where it helps as a reminder for them to take it. 
  • You can add as many people as you want to the extended support circle as they do not need access to the app.
How do I set up a Support Circle?
  • If you are the Support Circle Lead you need to subscribe at www.hicarer.co.uk. Once you have set up your subscription, then download the app and create your HiCarer account. You will then be able to invite people to your Support Circle to help manage care within the app.
  • You will need the first name, second name, role and email address for anyone you would like to be included as a Support Circle Member (up to 6 people, including yourself). They will receive an email inviting them to join your Support Circle, once you have added these details in the app. 
  • For the extended support circle you just need to include their first name, second name and either an email address or a phone number. If you're adding someone as a Support Circle Contact please ensure you either have consent from the individual to enter their personal details or are using their professional details.
How do I add someone to the Support Circle?
  • Go to the Support Circle page by going to the navigation bar at the bottom of the app and selecting the third icon.
  • Tap the pink + button and type the details of the person you would like to add.
  • Select whether you just want to add them as a useful contact or whether you want to allocate one of your 6 seats to them so they will be a Support Circle Member and have free access to the app.
  • Confirm by tapping 'Add to Support Circle'.
  • Their details will then appear on the Support Circle page.
     
How do I remove someone from the Support Circle?
  • If you need to remove someone from the Support Circle then please email us with their full name and their email address and we will do this for you.  

Care Diary

How do I add an appointment to the care diary?
  • Go to the navigation bar at the bottom of the app and select the second icon. 
  • Once you’re in the care diary you can create an appointment by tapping the pink + button. 
  • Add the relevant detail to the appointment e.g. carer visit, date, start and end time, recurrence. You can also assign the appointment to someone in your Support Circle, for example a paid carer, by selecting an assignee from the drop-down menu. 
  • Then if necessary, you can add tasks within that appointment i.e. things you need the carer to do while they are there such as prepare breakfast, make sure they give medication, etc. 
How can I make recurring appointments?
  • When setting up an appointment you can select if you would like an appointment to repeat. Please be aware that, for now, this functionality will make separate appointments which aren’t linked so you won’t be able to change them as a series – you will need to go into each appointment to change it. 
  • Additionally, please be aware that appointments will only repeat for 4 weeks in this version of the app, but soon you will be able to set up repeats for much longer or with no end date. This is a restriction due to it being the early access version of the app and we are continuously working on improvements.
How do I clock-in to an appointment / confirm I have arrived?
  • If an appointment has been assigned to you then you should receive a notification to remind you of this. You will be able to link from the notification to the appointment to confirm you have arrived by tapping 'In'.
  • You can also do this by going to the care diary and tapping on ‘In’ on the relevant appointment within the diary. 
Can I turn notifications off?
  • For now notifications can’t be turned off but we will introduce this option soon. This is because you have early access to the app but we are continuously working to make improvements. 
Where can I see my notifications?
  • You can see your latest 3 notifications on the homepage of the app. You can then tap ‘open’ in the notifications feed to view all notifications page. 
  • You can also access the notifications page from the bell icon at the top of the screen. 

Subscription Cancellation

How do I cancel my subscription?
  • There is a 3 month minimum term when you first subscribe to HiCarer and then you can cancel at any time. If you would like to cancel your subscription, please email us and we will do this for you. 
  • You can also cancel your subscription within the initial 14 day cooling off period.
How do I request for my account to be deleted?
  • If you would like your account to be deleted as you are either no longer using the HiCarer app or your Support Circle Lead (HiCarer subscriber) has cancelled their subscription, then you can do this within the app.
    • Please go to the bottom navigation bar and tap the 4th menu icon.
    • Select 'My Account' and then 'Delete My Account'
    • Please note that if you are the Support Circle Lead when deleting your account this will also remove your Support Circle Members’ access to the app and delete any information for the individual who needs care.
    • Your account will be deleted within 14 working days of receipt of your request.
  • If you just want to make changes to your profile then please email us with your full name and email address used in the app, and confirm what details you want to change. 

Feedback

How can I feed back about my experience using the HiCarer app?
  • We are very keen to hear your feedback on how we can improve your experience of the app and support you. Whether it is about features you would like to see in the app, anything you’ve found that doesn’t seem to be working correctly, any improvements or anything you particularly like!

  • Please send your feedback to us either by email or use the 'Send your feedback' option within the app menu - where possible please include screenshots.