The service is performing exceptionally well.
CQC data updated 01 October 2026
Find home care near you,
checked by CQC
Type your postcode. You'll see local home care agencies, their official CQC rating and when they were last inspected.
Covers England.
Type a postcode for home care near you. You'll see each care agency's CQC rating and when it was last inspected, including domiciliary care and the home carers who visit you.
Every agency is registered with CQCRatings come straight from CQC's public data.
Nothing to sign up toNo account, no email, no follow-up calls.
Your postcode stays on your deviceWe never send it or store it.
Free. No one pays to rank higherBest CQC rating first, unless you sort by distance.
HelpAlert made this page free. We're a UK personal alarm company. Members told us it was hard to find straightforward advice on home care.
What do CQC ratings mean?
In CQC's own words. We never change or re-score them.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. They inspect home care agencies and publish a rating. This page shows that rating, plus the five scores behind it.
Each card also shows five scores. CQC asks:
- Safe Is it safe?
- Effective Is it effective?
- Caring Is it caring?
- Responsive Is it responsive to people's needs?
- Well-led Is it well-led?
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Home care agencies near you
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Before you choose
Questions to ask an agency
Five things CQC expects a good agency to do.
CQC's own words, from What can you expect from a good home-care agency? When CQC inspects, it asks: Is it safe? Is it effective? Is it caring? Is it responsive to people's needs? Is it well-led?
You can expect a good home-care agency to keep you safe because…
- You feel safe and protected by staff, but you also have as much freedom as possible to do the things you want to do – regardless of your disability or other needs.
- Staff protect your dignity and human rights and respect you as an individual.
- There are enough staff to make sure you receive a reliable service that is not rushed. Staff have the right mix of skills to make sure you are kept safe.
- If the person caring for you needs to change at short notice, you are told so that you know who to expect.
- You are protected from being bullied, harassed, harmed or abused. Abuse includes neglect and financial abuse.
- Staff deal with incidents and accidents quickly and openly (and investigate them if necessary) and they learn from mistakes.
- Staff give you your medicine safely and store it correctly. Where possible, the agency involves you in reviewing your medicines and supports you to be as independent as possible.
- Any equipment that the agency uses is well maintained. You should feel confident that your belongings are safe and secure.
You can expect a good home-care agency to be effective because…
- You are introduced to any staff who are going to provide your care.
- The staff are chosen because they can provide you with the right care, based on their knowledge, qualifications and skills.
- You are always asked to give your consent (permission) to care, treatment and support in a way you can understand. If appropriate, your friends and family are also involved in decisions about your care.
- Staff take steps at the right time to make sure you stay in good health.
- Staff know about your health needs and personal preferences. They regularly involve you in decisions about your care and treatment and give you as much choice and control as possible.
- Staff make sure you get the right food and drink you need, and that you have enough of it.
You can expect a good home-care agency to be caring because…
- Staff know about your background, likes, hopes and needs.
- You are encouraged to express your views, no matter how complex your needs are.
- You have access to advocates (people who can speak on your behalf).
- Staff treat you with dignity and respect. They have time to develop trusting relationships with you and are concerned for your wellbeing.
You can expect a good home-care agency to be responsive to your needs because…
- Your care, treatment and support are set out in a written plan that describes what staff need to do to make sure you receive personalised care.
- You, and your family and friends where appropriate, are actively involved in developing this plan and it reflects your personal choices. For example, you should be able to have a choice about who provides you with personal care, such as help with washing and dressing.
- As your needs and preferences change, your plan is changed, and all those who need to know, like other services, are kept up to date.
- If you have any concerns or complaints, staff always take them seriously, investigate them thoroughly and respond to them in good time.
You can expect a good home-care agency to be well-led because…
- Staff know what is expected of them and are happy in their work.
- Staff are supported by their managers, and can easily meet other staff members to share views and information.
- Staff have the confidence to report any concerns they have about the care that colleagues, carers and other professionals give. When this happens they are supported and their concerns are thoroughly investigated.
- Staff and managers work effectively with others who may be involved in caring for you, such as your local council.
- Managers know what their responsibilities are and are always honest, including when things go wrong.
Will the council help?
A needs assessment is free. Anyone can ask.
The needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one.
Contact social services at your local council and ask for a needs assessment.
What care at home costs
The NHS says: "Help at home from a paid carer costs from £15 to £30 an hour, but it varies according to where you live. Sometimes, the council will contribute to the cost."
For the next financial year (2026 to 2027), the capital limits will remain at their current level: £23,250 for the upper capital limit and £14,250 for the lower capital limit.
A person with assets between the capital limits will pay what they can afford from their income, plus a means-tested contribution from their assets (calculated as £1 per week for every £250 of capital between the capital limits).
For care at home, councils use savings limits of at least £14,250 and £23,250, and some set higher ones. Below the lower limit your savings aren't counted. Above the upper limit you may have to pay the full cost. Check with your council.
Wales: up to a maximum of £100 a week … savings and investments over £24,000, not including the value of your home.
Hidden until the official care costs have been talked through. Remove the hidden attribute on this details element to show it.
Stuck?
Who to phone about a rating, the council, or advice.
Stuck? Questions about an agency or its rating: contact CQC on 03000 616161 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm). Help from the council: find your council on GOV.UK.
CQC: 03000 616161. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm, excluding bank holidays.
Age UK Advice Line 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year.
Citizens Advice Adviceline (England) 0800 144 8848, usually available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
What is domiciliary care?
It's care at home from a paid carer who visits you. The NHS says: "This type of care is known as homecare or domiciliary care or sometimes home help."
Personal care
Personal care means help with things like washing and dressing – Check with CQC for the exact definition (Regulation 2 and Schedule 1(1)).
Agencies doing personal care must register with CQC. CQC says: "you do not need to register if you only provide housing support or social support (such as help with shopping), but no tasks that are included in the definition of personal care."
Who pays for home care?
The needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one.
Contact social services at your local council and ask for a needs assessment.
If you get care at home, the value of your home is not counted in the financial assessment. The NHS says: "If you need a paid carer to come into your home… the value of your house will not be included in the financial assessment."
Not in England?
This finder covers England. Home care is checked by a different body where you live.
We register, inspect and take action to improve the quality and safety of services in Wales.
We are the national assurance and improvement support body for social care services and social work in Scotland.
Check with your council about free personal care. mygov.scot
an independent body that monitors and inspects the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland
Check with your local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust about home help charges. nidirect.gov.uk
Questions people ask
What is domiciliary care?
It's care at home from a paid carer who visits you. The NHS says: 'This type of care is known as homecare or domiciliary care or sometimes home help.'
How do I check a home care agency's CQC rating?
Type your postcode above. We show each agency's latest CQC rating and inspection date, as CQC publishes them, with a link to the full CQC report.
Does the council help with home care?
Ask your council for a needs assessment. The NHS says: 'The needs assessment is free and anyone can ask for one.'
Does this work in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. CQC inspects care in England. In Wales it's Care Inspectorate Wales, in Scotland the Care Inspectorate, and in Northern Ireland RQIA.
Why we made this
HelpAlert is a UK personal alarm company. Members told us it was hard to find home care information that was not an advert: who is registered with CQC, what the rating says, and when the agency was last inspected.
This page is free. Every home care agency registered with CQC in England is on it. Nobody pays to appear, and nobody pays to rank higher. The rating and the inspection date are CQC's. We do not change them.
More about our alarmsHow we built this page
How we built this page: The list comes from the Care Quality Commission's public data (Open Government Licence), updated 01 October 2026. We check it every month. Postcode locations: Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Your postcode is checked on your device and never sent to us. We're HelpAlert. We make free pages like this because families ask us these questions. Spotted something out of date? Email careteam@helpalert24.co.uk.
Last checked 13 October 2026. Report an error