Carers visit you in your own home to help with washing, dressing, medication, meals and getting out. Regulated by CQC as domiciliary care.
It only takes a minute and it is free.
Home care, which CQC registers as a domiciliary care service, means carers coming to you rather than you moving into a care home. It is the most common form of paid care in England.
Visiting care. Anything from one call a week to four calls a day. Shorter visits cost more per hour because travel and scheduling costs do not shrink.
Live-in care. A carer lives with you. Priced weekly.
Overnight care. Either a sleeping night, where the carer sleeps but is available, or a waking night, which costs considerably more.
Respite. Short term cover so a family carer can have a break.
See our full breakdown of home care costs per hour. In short, expect quotes at or above £34.42 an hour, higher for evenings, weekends and two-carer visits.
Check the CQC rating and read the actual report, not just the headline word. Then ask:
Continuity is the thing families complain about most and ask about least.
Every service here holds an Outstanding rating from CQC, the highest awarded. Within that, they are ordered by how many of the five inspection domains are also Outstanding or Good, then by how recently they were inspected. Nobody pays to appear.
Southampton, SO15
Operated by Southampton City Council
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/8/18.
Sembal House, Handel Terrace, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 2FH
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Woking, GU23
Operated by Home Counties Carers Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/6/23.
5-7 Webb House, Portsmouth Road, Ripley, Woking, GU23 6ER
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Berwick Upon Tweed, TD15
Operated by Northumberland County Council
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/6/23.
McDonald House, Wallace Green, Berwick Upon Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1ED
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Hexham, NE46
Operated by Northumberland County Council
Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/5/23.
Dene Park House, Corbridge Road, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 1HN
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Durham, DH7
Registered to support dementia care, learning disability and autism, mental health. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/5/18.
19 Quebec Street, Langley Park, Durham, County Durham, DH7 9XA
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Romford, RM3
Operated by Agracare Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/4/21.
Bates Business Centre, Suite G6, Church Road, Harold Wood, Romford, RM3 0JA
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Fareham, PO14
Operated by Hamble Valley Care Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/4/19.
Unit 25b, Katana House, Fort Fareham Industrial Site, Newgate Lane, Fareham, Hampshire, PO14 1AH
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Stamford, PE9
Operated by Beech Health Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/30/21.
Main Street, Great Casterton, Stamford, PE9 4AA
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Cambridge, CB25
Operated by Guyatt House Care Ltd
Registered to support older people, younger adults, learning disability and autism. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/28/22.
Cambridge Innovation Park, Denny End Road, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9PB
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Bourne, PE10
Operated by Stonewright Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/26/20.
Unit 3, Crown Walk, West Street, Bourne, PE10 9PB
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Based on CQC data published 01 July 2026. Ratings change between inspections, so check the current rating before deciding.
The same ranking method applied locally, for towns with enough rated services to make a top 10 meaningful.
Services in this category currently rated Good or Outstanding by CQC, sorted by rating and then by how recently they were inspected. This is a sample, not a ranking of the best in England.
Southampton, SO15
Operated by Southampton City Council
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/8/18.
Sembal House, Handel Terrace, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 2FH
Woking, GU23
Operated by Home Counties Carers Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/6/23.
5-7 Webb House, Portsmouth Road, Ripley, Woking, GU23 6ER
Berwick Upon Tweed, TD15
Operated by Northumberland County Council
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/6/23.
McDonald House, Wallace Green, Berwick Upon Tweed, Northumberland, TD15 1ED
Hexham, NE46
Operated by Northumberland County Council
Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/5/23.
Dene Park House, Corbridge Road, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 1HN
Durham, DH7
Registered to support dementia care, learning disability and autism, mental health. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/5/18.
19 Quebec Street, Langley Park, Durham, County Durham, DH7 9XA
Romford, RM3
Operated by Agracare Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. Care delivered in your own home. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/4/21.
Bates Business Centre, Suite G6, Church Road, Harold Wood, Romford, RM3 0JA
Counts are registered office locations. A home care agency based in a nearby town may still cover your postcode, so check coverage when you call.
Home care is visits, typically 30 minutes to a few hours, at set times of day. Live-in care means a carer lives in your home and is available around the clock. Live-in care is priced weekly rather than hourly and becomes competitive once you need very high hours of visiting care.
The Homecare Association calculates that providers in England need £34.42 an hour for 2026/27 to pay staff legally and run a compliant service. Councils pay an average of £25.05. Private quotes commonly sit at or above the minimum price.
It depends on your capital and income. Above £23,250 you pay the full cost. Crucially, the home you live in is always ignored when you are assessed for care at home.
Yes. Agencies providing personal care in your home must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and are inspected and rated. Always check the current rating on the CQC website before choosing.
Carevo is not a care provider and does not inspect or endorse services. CQC ratings change. Check the CQC website for the current rating and read the full inspection report before making a decision.