Paying for care at home: Council-funded

Ask your council for a free care needs assessment. If you qualify, a financial assessment decides how much you pay; the value of your home is not counted for care in your own home.

Paying for care at home: Personal budget or direct payments

If the council agrees to fund your care, you can ask for the money as a direct payment and choose the agency yourself.

Paying for care at home: Self-funded

You can arrange and pay an agency directly at any time, with no assessment. Ask for hourly rates, minimum visit lengths and weekend rates.

Paying for care at home: NHS continuing healthcare

If your main need is a health need, the NHS can fund care at home after an assessment.

Home care agencies in England and Scotland

Docorix lists 13,698 home care agencies in England and Scotland, in 1046 towns and cities. 7,969 hold a current CQC rating and 6,933 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. Together they are registered for 1,499 beds.

CQC register data updated 7 October 2026

Home care agencies send care workers to help with washing, dressing, meals and medication in your own home. Ask about minimum visit lengths, how continuity of carers is maintained, what happens if a carer is late, and whether the agency works with your local council. The CQC rating shows how the agency performed at its last inspection.

Only what’s on the map

Showing 30 of 13698

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Order: official CQC rating only – Outstanding first, then Good. Providers cannot pay to appear higher.

Home care agencies by county

Home care agencies by town or city

Showing the 60 towns with the most; use the search to find the rest.

Who runs home care agencies?

24NHS
12,259Independent
1,047Charity / not-for-profit
363Council-run

Taken from the CQC register: “NHS” means run by an NHS body or providing NHS primary care; “Independent” is the CQC’s word for a provider that is not an NHS body – a company, partnership or individual. It says who runs the service, not who pays: many independent providers deliver NHS- or council-funded care. Charities and community interest companies are shown separately, where the register or the provider’s name says so. 5 are dental practices, where the register does not say whether NHS treatment is offered. Use the All · NHS · Private switch at the top of any directory page to browse one kind only.

All nhs services → All independent services →

Paying for care at home

Council-funded: Ask your council for a free care needs assessment. If you qualify, a financial assessment decides how much you pay; the value of your home is not counted for care in your own home.
Personal budget or direct payments: If the council agrees to fund your care, you can ask for the money as a direct payment and choose the agency yourself.
Self-funded: You can arrange and pay an agency directly at any time, with no assessment. Ask for hourly rates, minimum visit lengths and weekend rates.
NHS continuing healthcare: If your main need is a health need, the NHS can fund care at home after an assessment.

The CQC register does not record which types of funding each provider accepts, so always ask the provider – and get the answer in writing before you commit.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: ask for a needs assessment NHS: when the council might pay NHS: personal budgets NHS continuing healthcare

General guidance for England, not financial advice. Rules and charges change – check the official pages above.