Home care agencies

Home care agencies employ care workers and arrange for them to visit you to provide care services. You could get help with:

• eating and drinking
• bathing and personal hygiene
• getting in and out of bed
• getting dressed and undressed
• taking medication
• doing your weekly shopping or collecting prescriptions
• getting out and about – for example, to a lunch club or to appointments.

Some home care agencies also provide nursing care to people in their own homes. Any nursing care must be carried out, or planned and supervised, by a registered nurse. Bear in mind that private nursing care can be expensive. Your GP can arrange free NHS community nursing services if you need them.

All home care agencies must register with a care regulator. The regulator inspects them and will only register a home care agency if it meets their minimum standards. These requirements do not apply to employment agencies that help you find self-employed nurses and care workers. 

There are different care regulators depending on where you live:

• in England, contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• in Scotland, contact the Care Inspectorate
• in Wales, contact the Care Inspectorate Wales.

If you think you need some help, the first step is to get a free care needs assessment from your local council. This looks at what your needs are and whether these needs qualify for help from the council. 

Even if you’re going to organise your own care directly with an agency, it’s a good idea to get a care needs assessment first. This will help you explain to the agency what support you need.

It may also be useful to ask for occupational therapy to be involved in your assessment. They look at any difficulties you have around your home. They might recommend disability equipment or an adaptation to your home that could make life easier.

You can have a friend, relative or an independent advocate with you during the assessment. Let the council know you want this when you make the arrangements.

The council must provide you with an independent advocate in some circumstances. Read more about Independent advocacy.

There are different rules about paying for care depending on where you live – for example, many personal and nursing care services in Scotland are free, while in England and Wales they may not be. 

If your care needs qualify for council support, you’ll have a separate financial assessment. This works out whether you can get help with care costs by looking at your:

• income, such as pensions or benefits
• capital, such as savings or investments.

It will not include the value of your home if you own it and it’s your main residence. Read more about Paying for care services at home.

If you do not qualify for financial support, there are other ways to pay for your care. For more information, read our guides Paying for care at home in England and Wales and Paying for care at home in Scotland. 

Even if you’re paying for your own care, you can ask the council to arrange care for you. They may charge an arrangement fee for doing this.

If you qualify for financial support, the council should tell you how much they think it will cost to meet your needs. They should also tell you how much they will contribute, and how much you will have to pay. You can let the council manage this money and organise care services for you. Or you can control this money using direct payments and choose a home care agency yourself.

If you need regular supervision or help with your personal care, you may be entitled to disability benefits. In England and Wales, you may qualify for Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment. In Scotland, you may be able to get Adult Disability Payment or Pension Age Disability Payment. These benefits are not means-tested – an award is based only on your care needs.

The council may count some parts of these benefits as income when they carry out a financial assessment. You could use any leftover money to pay for extra services.

Try our benefits calculator to see what you could claim or contact our Helpline for a free benefits check.

You can find home care agencies in your area through:

• adult social services at your local council – ask for a list or check if they have an online directory
• the NHS services directory (in England)
• the Home Care Association. These agencies agree to meet certain quality standards to become members
• the Autumna care directory.

You can also contact the care regulator where you live:

• in England, contact the CQC to find care services
• in Scotland, contact the Care Inspectorate to find a care service
• in Wales, use the Care Inspectorate Wales directory.  

When choosing a home care agency, you may want to check:

• their ‘statement of purpose’ – this includes their aims and objectives, who their service is for and the type of services they provide
• what policies and procedures they have in place to protect you and their staff
• whether their staff have Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. This shows if they have a criminal record or any police cautions that would make them unsuitable for home care work. For more information, contact the DBS Helpline for England and Wales. The disclosure rules are different in Scotland – visit mygov.scot for information.

In England, the CQC have more information about what to expect from a good home care agency. The Scottish Government have also published guidance on what you can expect from care services.

Our factsheet Arranging home care has a list of questions you could ask.

Once you’ve chosen a home care agency, they must carry out an assessment and work with you to produce a care plan. The agency’s care plan must match the council’s care needs assessment if you’ve had one, and your care and support plan.

The agency should also give you:

• a written contract – the council might hold this if they are paying towards your care
• a clear price list, with details of what’s included in the basic charge and any extras
• information about how to end the contract, if necessary
• a copy of their complaints procedure.

They should keep you informed about any issues related to your care.

The agency staff must keep a written record of all the care they provide, including medication they give you, changes in your health or any accidents. You should be able to see these records if you want to – ask the agency how you can do this.

You may be asked to sign timesheets. Make sure the care worker has recorded the time accurately. Do not sign any timesheets in advance or you may be charged for care you have not received. 

You should receive an invoice charging you for the care you’ve had in the previous month. If you're receiving financial support from the council, the bill might come from them.

Many home care agencies use an electronic monitoring system, which records when care staff enter and leave your home. The care worker may need to use your phone for this, but you will not be charged for the calls.

If something goes wrong – for example, your care is rushed, or the care worker is late or doesn’t turn up – first try to raise your concerns. You can do this with adult social services if your care was organised by the council, or the manager of the agency.

If you’re still unhappy, you can make a formal complaint. If you need advice about this, contact our free Helpline.