How to Choose a Home Care Agency: Seven Steps for Families

7 Sep 202612 min read

To choose a home care agency, shortlist three, check each one is registered with the regulator and read the date on its last inspection report, ask five filtering questions by phone, treat the assessment visit as an interview, compare quotes like for like, read six clauses in the agreement, then agree a review date. Most families can do all of this in a week or two. This guide walks through each step, what a good answer sounds like, and the warning signs to watch for.

How to choose a home care agency in seven steps

Shortlist three agencies from the regulator's register, the council's list, a comparison platform or local word of mouth.
Check registration and read the report, paying as much attention to the inspection date as to the rating.
Phone each one and ask five questions: can you cover these times, how many carers would come, who is my named contact, what happens if a carer is off, and what is the rate and what is extra.
Use the assessment visit as an interview. Do they talk to your parent, ask about routines, name risks honestly and leave you a care plan you can read?
Compare quotes like for like: same visits, same times, same week, every extra listed.
Read six clauses before you sign: notice period, cancellation charges, price-rise notice, what the rate includes, the complaints procedure, and what happens if they cannot staff a visit.
Agree a first-week check-in and a review at two to four weeks, with a named person to call.

Before you start: know what you are buying

Two things make every later step easier: knowing the pattern of hours you need, and knowing the shape of care you want.

The pattern of hours means which visits, at what times, on which days. A morning call to help with washing and breakfast is a different job from an evening call and a lunchtime check. Write it down before you speak to anyone, because you will need to give every agency the same list.

The shape of care means visiting care, live-in care or a move to a care home. If you have not yet settled that, start with live-in care, visiting care or a care home. And if you are still working out whether help is needed at all, see the signs a parent needs help at home.

It is normal to feel that you are choosing blind. You are inviting a stranger into your parent's home, and the websites all look the same. The steps below turn that worry into a short list of checks anyone can do.

Step 1: Build a shortlist of three

Three is enough. It gives you a comparison without turning a stressful fortnight into a research project.

Where to look, according to Age UK's guidance on arranging home care: the regulator's register (in England, the CQC website), the list of approved private care agencies held by your council's adult social services team, and the Homecare Association's member list. You can also compare agencies on WellChosen, ask at the GP surgery or pharmacy, or contact your local Age UK.

Know which of three models you are looking at. Most agencies are fully managed: they employ the carers, plan the rota, hold the care plan, and must be registered and inspected. An introductory agency is different. It introduces self-employed carers for a fee and has, in CQC's words, "no ongoing role", so it does not have to register and the care itself is not inspected. You or your parent become the carer's client, or in some circumstances their employer. The third option is employing a carer directly. That makes you an employer, with duties around contracts, National Insurance and pensions; HMRC and Acas explain what is involved. Franchise branches and independent agencies exist within the managed model, and both can be excellent or poor; the checks below work for either.

Step 2: Check registration and read the inspection report

In England, any organisation providing personal care in someone's home must be registered with the CQC. Search the agency name or postcode on the CQC website and open the location page, which is usually the branch office that would serve you. Confirm it says "Registered", that the regulated activity includes personal care, and that a registered manager (the named person legally accountable for the service) is in post.

Then look at four things on the report.

The overall rating. CQC uses four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Providers are legally required to display their rating on their premises and website.

The five key questions. Each service is also rated on whether it is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. An overall Good means no key question was Inadequate and no more than one was Requires improvement. Two or more at Requires improvement pulls the overall rating down to Requires improvement.

The date. This is the step most families skip, and it matters as much as the grade. According to Homecare Association analysis of CQC data downloaded in May 2026, 83.5% of community social care locations in England had either never been assessed or held a rating four or more years old. Only 16.5% had a rating published within the last three years. A rating of Good from 2018 tells you what a branch was like under a manager who may have left years ago. Treat an old rating as history, not evidence.

"Not yet rated" or "inspected but not rated". CQC uses these where it cannot yet make a judgement, typically for a newly registered service, where there is not enough evidence, or after a change of provider. It is not a bad rating. Given how few home care services are assessed each year, a new branch may stay unrated for some time. It means your own checks in Steps 3 and 4 carry more weight, and it is worth asking when the branch registered and whether the provider has other rated locations.

As of September 2026, CQC is changing how it assesses services. The four-point scale and five key questions are staying, but scoring is being dropped and new sector-specific frameworks are being piloted, with implementation expected from late 2026. Check the CQC page on the day you are deciding, because what you see there may change.

Outside England. Scotland's Care Inspectorate grades care-at-home services on a six-point scale, from 6 (Excellent) to 1 (Unsatisfactory). Care Inspectorate Wales began publishing ratings for domiciliary support services on 1 April 2025 across four themes, and has said it will take up to two years to rate every service, so many Welsh agencies will still show no rating in 2026. In Northern Ireland, RQIA registers and inspects domiciliary care agencies but does not publish a rating scale; inspection reports from April 2024 onward are searchable on its website.

Step 3: Make the phone call

Ten minutes on the phone with each agency will usually narrow three to two. Give them your written list of visits and ask these five questions. The "good answer" column is the point: lists of questions are everywhere, but families rarely know what they are listening for.

Question	What a good answer sounds like
Can you cover these exact times, on these days, from this date?	A clear yes or no, or "not the 7am call, but we could do 7.30." An agency that declines what it cannot staff is protecting you.
How many different carers would come?	A small named team, usually two or three regulars, introduced before they start, with a plan for holidays.
Who is my named contact, and how do I reach them out of hours?	A named coordinator or manager, a direct number, and a straight description of what happens at 8pm on a Sunday.
What happens if a carer is off sick or running late?	"We call you if we are going to be more than a set number of minutes late, and we send someone from the same team."
What is the hourly rate, and what is charged on top?	A price list you can have in writing, covering bank holidays, mileage, two-carer visits, minimum visit length and notice charges.

If an agency cannot say who your named contact would be, or will not put its price list in writing, that is usually enough to drop it from the list.

Step 4: Use the assessment visit as an interview

Before care starts, a registered agency will send someone to assess your parent's needs and write a care plan. Families tend to treat this as the agency's paperwork. It is the best chance you will get to judge them, in your parent's home, with your parent present.

Watch for four things.

Who they talk to. A good assessor speaks to your parent first and to you second, even if your parent has dementia. Person-centred care and dignity are among CQC's fundamental standards, which every registered provider must meet.

What they ask. Routines, preferences, what a good morning looks like, who else is involved, what your parent wants to keep doing for themselves. An assessor who only asks about tasks is planning a rota, not care.

Whether they are honest about limits and risks. A good agency will name a risk you had not mentioned, and will decline to promise things it cannot deliver. "We cannot guarantee the same carer every day, but we will keep it to three people and introduce each one first" is a better answer than "of course, always the same carer."

Whether you get to read the care plan. A written plan you can see and correct is a legal minimum under the fundamental standards, not a selling point.

You can also hold the agency to what the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which sets guidelines for health and care in England, already says home care should look like. Its guideline on home care, NG21, published in 2015 and still current, says agencies should introduce people to new workers, build a small team around the person, tell people in advance if staff change and why, and make sure workers contact the person if they are late or cannot visit. It also says visits shorter than 30 minutes should happen only where the carer is already known to the person, the visit is part of a wider package, and there is enough time for the task. Ask each agency whether it will commit to these, and notice how they answer.

Step 5: Compare the quotes like for like

Two quotes are rarely for the same thing. Before you compare prices, make sure each one covers the same visits, the same lengths, the same times, the same week, with every extra listed. If one agency has quoted 45-minute morning calls and another 30-minute ones, you are not comparing agencies, you are comparing visit lengths.

The extras that most often differ: bank holiday and weekend rates, mileage, two-carer visits, minimum visit length, and charges for visits you cancel.

There is a useful floor for judging the headline rate. The Homecare Association, the trade body for home care providers, calculates a Minimum Price for Homecare each year. For England in 2026/27 it is £34.42 an hour [yearly refresh]. That figure is built from paying carers at least the legal minimum for their working time, including travel between visits, plus mileage, employment costs and a minimum contribution to running the business. Which? tells self-funders to expect to pay "at least" £34 an hour, citing the same figure (April 2026) [yearly refresh].

A quote well below that is not proof of a bad agency. Rural areas and small independents vary. It is a prompt for one calm question: how is travel time paid? Continuity for your parent depends on carers staying, and carers are more likely to stay where they are paid for their whole working day.

Put the three quotes side by side with the same visit list and the extras written in. A one-page grid is enough.

Step 6: Read the agreement before you sign

The agreement is where most later problems start, and it is the part families read least. Six clauses to find and understand before signing.

Notice period, in both directions. How much notice must you give to stop or reduce care, and how much must the agency give you? Look for what happens if your parent goes into hospital at short notice. Families on carer forums describe being caught out by 28-day notice clauses after an emergency admission, when they could only give a week's notice.
Cancellation and missed-visit charges. What you pay if you cancel a visit, and what happens if the agency misses one.
Price rises. How much notice you get, and how rises are calculated.
What the rate includes. Whether the hourly figure covers mileage, bank holidays, two-carer visits and short calls, or whether these come on top.
The complaints procedure. A written procedure is one of CQC's fundamental standards. It should name who handles complaints and how long they take.
What happens if they cannot staff a visit. Who tells you, how quickly, and what they do about it.

This guide describes what to look for; it does not advise on whether a particular clause is enforceable. If a term worries you, Citizens Advice can help you understand it before you sign.

Step 7: Agree the start and the review

Before the first visit, agree four things with your named contact.

A first-week check-in. A phone call after the first two or three visits to fix anything that is not working.
A continuity commitment. The names of the regular carers, and a promise to introduce anyone new before they arrive alone.
A review at two to four weeks. A sit-down, ideally in the home, to adjust the care plan now that the agency knows your parent.
How to raise a concern. Who you call, and what you can expect to happen.

If something goes wrong later, raise it with the agency first, using the complaints procedure. Keep dated notes of what happened. If the council is funding the care, tell the council too. If the agency's answer does not resolve it, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can investigate complaints about adult social care arranged privately, whether paid for with your own money or a direct payment from the council, once the provider has had a chance to investigate and reply. CQC will take your information and use it to protect others, but it does not handle individual complaints.

Red flags

None of these on its own is proof of a poor agency. Two or three together usually are.

No written care plan, or one you are not allowed to read.
No named registered manager, or a manager who is never available.
Cannot tell you who will be coming, or how many different carers.
Pressure to sign quickly, or a discount that expires today.
Vague about extras, or unwilling to put the price list in writing.
Not on the regulator's register, or a rating of Requires improvement or Inadequate with no explanation of what has changed since.
No complaints procedure, or a defensive answer when you ask about it.
A quote far below the Homecare Association floor with no explanation of how travel time is paid.
Promises of "always the same carer" from an agency that cannot say who that carer is.

If the council is paying

If your parent has had a council needs assessment and qualifies for funded care, the council will usually arrange it through agencies on its own approved list. Age UK's factsheet on finding help at home confirms the council must give you information and advice about local care providers. If the agency the council proposes does not suit, you can ask about others on the list.

A direct payment is the route to choosing your own agency. Direct payments, in gov.uk's words, "let you choose and buy the services you need yourself, instead of getting them from your council". The council must consider whether a direct payment may be suitable and tell you about it, though it cannot force you to take one. The seven steps above apply just the same; you are simply the customer rather than the council.

Frequently asked questions

What does "not yet rated" mean on the CQC website?

CQC shows no rating, or "inspected but not rated", where it cannot yet make a judgement: usually a newly registered service, one with too little evidence, or one that has recently changed provider. It is not a poor rating. Because CQC assesses relatively few home care services each year, a new agency may stay unrated for some time. Ask when it registered, who the registered manager is, and check whether the provider's other branches are rated.

How do I check a home care agency is registered?

In England, search the agency name or postcode on the CQC website and open the location page. Confirm it says "Registered", that the regulated activity includes personal care, and note the registered manager and the report date. In Scotland use the Care Inspectorate's find-a-service search, in Wales the Care Inspectorate Wales directory, and in Northern Ireland the RQIA register. If you cannot find an agency, ask it for its registration number.

What should home care cost per hour?

The Homecare Association calculates the minimum sustainable price for home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27, covering carer pay for working time including travel, plus mileage and running costs. Which? tells self-funders to expect at least £34 an hour, citing the same figure (April 2026). Rates vary by region and time of day, and extras such as bank holidays, mileage and two-carer visits should appear on the price list. [yearly refresh]

Is an introductory agency regulated?

Not necessarily. CQC's guidance says an agency that only introduces self-employed carers and has "no ongoing role" does not need to register, so the care itself is not inspected. If the agency arranges rotas, keeps charging after a one-off introduction fee, or changes active care plans, CQC says it should be registered. Ask which model an agency uses, who employs the carer, and who is responsible if the carer is ill.

Can I change agency if it is not working out?

Yes. Check the notice period in your agreement, in both directions, and any charges for cancelled visits. If the council funds the care, tell the council you would like a different provider. With a direct payment you choose the agency yourself. If a problem needs resolving first, complain to the agency, then to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which covers privately arranged care as well as council-funded care.

Do home carers have to be checked and trained?

Registered providers must meet CQC's fundamental standards on staffing and on fit and proper staff, which include checks before someone starts work. Criminal record checks are through the DBS in England and Wales, Disclosure Scotland in Scotland and Access NI in Northern Ireland. The Care Certificate, a 16-standard induction developed by Skills for Care with NHS England and Skills for Health, is the recognised training for staff new to care. Ask what proportion of the team has completed it.

What to do next

If you have three agencies and a week. Run Steps 2 and 3 on all three today, book assessment visits with the two that pass, and ask both for a written quote against the same visit list. Decide after the visits, not before.

If a hospital discharge is forcing the pace. Do Step 2 and Step 3 by phone in one afternoon, insist on the price list in writing, and agree a short first notice period so you can switch once the pressure is off. A registered agency with a named manager who answers every phone question is a reasonable choice under time pressure, even if the branch is not yet rated.

If the council is arranging it. Ask for the list of approved providers and run the same checks on the ones offered. Ask about a direct payment if you would rather choose the agency yourself.

Whichever situation you are in, the checks are the same. WellChosen lets you compare registered agencies in your area side by side using them.

Sources and where to check themEvery figure in this guide traces to one of these. Opened and checked when it was last reviewed.

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