Choosing a care agency is a decision most families make once, under pressure, with no prior experience — usually while also managing a hospital discharge or a parent who isn’t convinced they need help at all.
Here’s the process that works, the ten questions that actually separate good providers from mediocre ones, and the warning signs worth walking away from.
Start with your loved one’s needs, not with providers
Write down, honestly, what the week needs to look like. Not “Mum needs care” but:
- What specific tasks are difficult — washing, dressing, cooking, medication, getting to the toilet at night?
- At what times of day do problems occur? Mornings and evenings are the pinch points for most people.
- What’s the family currently doing, and what’s unsustainable about it?
- Are there health conditions requiring specific training — dementia, Parkinson’s, a catheter, a stoma, a hoist?
- What matters to them? A carer who speaks their language, a woman rather than a man, someone who’ll talk about football, no one before 9am.
This list does two jobs: it makes quotes genuinely comparable, and it exposes any provider who nods along without engaging with the detail.
If you’re uncertain of the level of need, request a free care needs assessment from West Sussex County Council first. It’s a legal right regardless of savings.
Check the CQC rating and report — properly
Any organisation providing personal care in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. If a provider isn’t registered, they cannot legally help with washing, dressing or medication.
Ratings run Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate. But the rating alone isn’t the useful part:
- Check the inspection date. A “Good” from 2018 tells you about a service that may have changed hands, management and staff several times since.
- Read the “Well-led” and “Caring” sections. Most home care failures are management failures — rota chaos, late visits, poor supervision — and they show up here first.
- Look for a rating on “Responsive”. That’s where missed and rushed visits get recorded.
- Note whether the registered manager has changed since inspection. Ask directly.
Our guide to reading CQC reports covers what each section means. One caveat worth knowing: a substantial share of registered home care services have no current rating, often because they’re newly registered. No rating isn’t automatically a red flag — but it means you must do more of your own diligence.
Understand what type of provider you’re talking to
| Managed agency | Introductory agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs the carer | The agency | You |
| CQC regulated | Yes, for personal care | Often not for the care itself |
| Cover if carer is ill | Agency arranges | Your problem |
| Tax, NI, holiday pay, insurance | Agency handles | Your responsibility |
| Training and supervision | Agency provides | You arrange |
| Typical hourly cost | £28–£38 | From ~£19 plus fees |
Introductory agencies are legitimate and can suit organised families who want one consistent carer and are comfortable being an employer. They are not simply “the cheaper option” — the difference in price is the transfer of risk and administration to you.
10 questions to ask any care agency
- How many different carers will we see in a typical month? The single most revealing question. A confident answer with a number is a good sign; vagueness is an answer too.
- What happens if a carer is ill or on holiday? Listen for a named backup system, not “we’d sort something out”.
- How do you handle a missed or late visit — and how would we know? Ask about electronic call monitoring and what triggers an alert.
- Who is the registered manager, how long have they been in post, and will we meet them?
- What training do your carers have for [specific condition]? Dementia, Parkinson’s, catheter care, hoisting — ask about the one you actually need.
- Is travel time paid, and is it included in my rate? Unpaid travel time is the root cause of rushed and late visits across the sector. This question tells you a lot.
- What’s the minimum visit length and the minimum charge? A 30-minute call billed at 45 minutes changes your real hourly cost substantially.
- What are the notice period and cancellation terms? Four weeks is common; longer tie-ins in home care deserve scrutiny.
- How do you handle complaints, and can I see your complaints record? Every provider gets complaints. What matters is whether they can describe what changed as a result.
- Can I speak to a current client or family? A good provider will arrange it.
Two extras if the need is significant: How often is the care plan reviewed, and by whom? And: How do you communicate with the family — an app, a call, a paper log in the house?
Understanding contracts and costs
Get the following in writing before you sign anything:
- The hourly rate, and separately the rates for evenings, weekends and bank holidays (uplifts of 15–50% are normal; Christmas and New Year are often double)
- Minimum visit length and minimum charge
- Whether mileage or a call-out charge is added on top
- Double-up rates if two carers are needed
- The notice period both ways, and the policy on cancelled visits
- How and when prices change — annual review is standard; mid-contract increases should be explained
Be cautious of any rate substantially below the Homecare Association’s 2026/27 minimum sustainable price of £34.42 an hour. That gap is funded somewhere — usually in carer pay, unpaid travel time, or the absence of supervision. See our 2026 cost guide for benchmarks, and the funding guide for help paying.
Red flags to watch for
- Pressure to sign at the assessment visit. Nobody credible needs a decision today.
- No written care plan, or one that reads like a template with a name swapped in.
- A quote given over the phone without an assessment for anything beyond basic companionship.
- Reluctance to discuss the CQC report or to name the registered manager.
- Rates well below market with no explanation of how the model works.
- Talking about your relative in the third person while they’re in the room. This tells you exactly how care will be delivered.
- Long tie-in periods or significant charges for reducing hours.
- No named point of contact — just a general office number and whoever picks up.
Trust the assessment visit
The free assessment is your real test. Watch whether the care manager talks to your relative or about them. Whether they ask about preferences and history or only about tasks. Whether they say “we can do all of that” to everything, or tell you honestly where they’d struggle.
A provider who says “I don’t think you need three visits a day yet — start with two and call me in a month” is worth considerably more than one who agrees to whatever you suggest.
Book a free assessment with a CQC-registered agency
Check any shortlisted provider’s current rating and full inspection report on the CQC website before you commit, and take the ten questions above to every assessment visit — a provider worth using will welcome them. Our local guides cover Worthing and Adur.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a care agency is CQC registered?
Search the provider’s name on the CQC website. Registered services show their registration, latest inspection report and rating. Check the inspection date as well as the rating, and confirm the registered manager named in the report is still in post.
What questions should I ask a home care provider?
The most revealing are: how many different carers will we see in a month, what happens when a carer is ill, is travel time paid and included in my rate, what’s the minimum visit charge, and what’s the notice period. Vague answers to the first two are the clearest quality signal you’ll get.
What’s the difference between an agency and an introductory service?
A managed agency employs the carer and handles training, supervision, cover, tax and insurance. An introductory service matches you with a self-employed carer and you become the employer, taking on contracts, wages, tax, holiday pay and cover. Introductory services cost less per hour because you absorb the risk and admin.
Should I choose the cheapest home care agency?
Rarely. Below the Homecare Association’s £34.42 minimum sustainable price for 2026/27, something is being cut — typically carer pay, travel time or supervision, all of which show up as rushed visits and high turnover. Compare what’s included, not just the headline rate.
Can I change care agencies if it isn’t working?
Yes. Check the notice period in your contract, usually two to four weeks. If you’re funded by the council or hold a direct payment, tell your social worker. Don’t stay with a poor provider out of a sense of obligation.
The Care Panel is an independent publication. We are not a care provider and are not regulated by the Care Quality Commission, because we do not deliver care. Always check a provider’s own CQC registration and inspection report before you commit.
Written and fact-checked by The Care Panel. Last updated September 2026. General information only.