If you are asking what is domiciliary care, the short answer is: care and support delivered by trained carers in the person’s own home, rather than in a care home. A carer visits at agreed times — perhaps half an hour in the morning, perhaps several hours a day — to help with washing, dressing, meals, medication prompts and company, so the person can keep living where they want to live.
“Domiciliary care”, “home care” and “homecare” all mean the same thing. The word domiciliary simply comes from domicile, meaning home. In Worthing, Adur and across West Sussex you will see all three terms used by councils, the NHS and agencies.
In short: domiciliary care is paid, planned help at home from a carer, usually arranged through an agency that is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if it provides personal care.
What is domiciliary care, in practice?
Domiciliary care is built around a care plan. Before the first visit, the agency (or the council, if it is arranging the care) assesses what the person needs, what they can still do for themselves and how they like things done. That becomes a written plan that tells each carer what to do on each visit.
It can be short-term — for example a few weeks of help after a stay in Worthing Hospital — or long-term support that gradually increases as needs change. It ranges from one visit a week for shopping and company, through several visits a day, to live-in care where a carer stays in the home.
What is the difference between home care and domiciliary care?
There is no difference. Domiciliary care is the formal term used in regulation and council documents; home care is the everyday term. Both describe care delivered in the person’s own home.
Where people get confused is with related terms. “Home help” and domestic care usually mean housework and errands only, without personal care. “Companionship care” focuses on company and outings. “Home nursing” means care from a registered nurse, which is different again. A good agency will explain which of these it offers.
What does a home carer do?
A home carer helps with the everyday tasks that have become hard, while encouraging the person to do as much as they can themselves. Typical tasks include:
- Personal care: help getting up and going to bed, washing, showering, dressing, shaving, toileting and continence care. Our guide to what personal care involves goes into more detail.
- Medication support: prompting someone to take their tablets, or giving medicines from labelled packs if the care plan and the agency’s policy allow it.
- Meals and drinks: preparing breakfast, a hot lunch or a light tea, and making sure drinks are left within reach.
- Household help: laundry, changing beds, washing up, light cleaning and putting the bins out.
- Company and outings: conversation, walks, shopping trips, appointments and social activities.
- Keeping an eye: noticing changes in health, mood, appetite or the state of the house, and reporting them to the family or the office.
What home carers cannot do
Home carers are not nurses. They should not carry out clinical tasks — such as injections, wound dressings, catheter changes or managing feeding tubes — unless they have been specifically trained and the task has been properly delegated by a health professional, with the agency’s agreement. Many agencies will not take on these tasks at all, and district nurses from the NHS usually cover them.
Carers also should not make financial decisions for the person, borrow money, accept significant gifts or sign documents on their behalf. If a carer is asked to do something outside the care plan, they should refer it back to the office.
What does a typical home care visit look like?
A typical morning visit lasts between 45 minutes and an hour. It might run like this:
- The carer arrives, lets themselves in (often using a key safe), says hello and checks how the person slept.
- They help with getting up, the toilet, washing or a shower, and dressing.
- They prompt or give morning medication and record it.
- They make breakfast and a hot drink, and leave a drink and snack within reach.
- They tidy up, empty bins, and check the house is safe and warm.
- They write notes — on paper or an app — so the next carer and the family can see what happened.
Lunch and tea visits are often shorter and focus on food, drinks and medication. An evening visit usually covers washing, changing for bed and making sure the person is settled and has everything they need overnight.
Are 15-minute care visits allowed?
Very short visits are discouraged. NICE’s quality standard on home care, which sets expectations for care in England, says older people using home care should have visits of at least 30 minutes, except where a short visit for a specific task or check has been agreed as part of a wider package of support.
A 15-minute visit can be reasonable for a medication prompt or a quick safety check if the person has other, longer visits. It is not enough time to help someone wash, dress and eat without rushing. If a care plan includes short visits for personal care, question it — whether the care is council-funded or private.
Hourly care at home
Most domiciliary care is charged by the hour, with visits booked in blocks — commonly 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Many agencies have a minimum visit length, and shorter visits often cost more per minute than longer ones.
| Type of care | Indicative West Sussex cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Visiting (hourly) home care | £28–£38 per hour |
| Sleeping night | £210–£260 per night |
| Waking night | Higher than a sleeping night |
| Live-in care | £1,400–£1,700+ per week |
For context, the Homecare Association’s minimum price for homecare in England for 2026/27 is £34.42 an hour — the level it calculates an agency needs to charge to pay carers legally and run a sustainable service. Evenings, weekends and bank holidays usually cost more. For a full breakdown, see our guide to home care costs in Worthing, and use our free funding checker to see what help might be available.
How is domiciliary care regulated by the CQC?
In England, any organisation that provides personal care to people in their own homes must be registered with the Care Quality Commission for the regulated activity “personal care”. The CQC inspects agencies and publishes ratings: outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.
Two points catch families out:
- Not every home help service is registered. A service that only does cleaning, shopping or companionship, with no personal care, does not have to register with the CQC. That is lawful, but it means nobody is inspecting it.
- Introductory agencies may not be registered. Agencies that only introduce a self-employed carer and then step back do not have to register. Our guide to introductory agencies vs managed care explains what that means for you.
Before you commit, search the agency on the CQC website and read its latest report, not just the headline rating. Our guide to CQC ratings explains what to look for.
Who pays for domiciliary care?
Most people in West Sussex pay for some or all of their home care. If you have savings above £23,250 (not counting the value of your home, which is ignored for care at home), you will usually pay the full cost yourself. Below that, West Sussex County Council may contribute after a care needs assessment and a financial assessment.
Attendance Allowance — £76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27 — is not means-tested and can help towards the cost. If needs are mainly health-related, NHS Continuing Healthcare may cover the whole cost. Our funding overview covers each option.
If you are ready to look for care, our step-by-step guide on how to arrange home care walks you through it.
Find care near you
Tell us your postcode and what you need help with. We pass your details to one vetted CQC-registered agency in your area — you are told who they are, and that they pay us a fee, before anything is sent.
Frequently asked questions
Is domiciliary care the same as a care home?
No. Domiciliary care is delivered in the person’s own home, while a care home provides accommodation and care in one place. Many people use home care to delay or avoid a move into a care home.
Do domiciliary carers need qualifications?
There is no single legal qualification required, but CQC-registered agencies must make sure staff are properly trained and competent. New carers usually work through the Care Certificate standards, and many go on to take recognised adult social care qualifications.
Can domiciliary care be provided overnight?
Yes. Agencies can provide sleeping nights, where the carer sleeps but can be woken, or waking nights, where the carer stays awake. See our guide to overnight care at home.
How many hours of domiciliary care can someone have?
Anything from one short visit a week to round-the-clock care. The right amount depends on the care plan, and it can be increased or reduced as needs change.
Can I choose the same carer every time?
You can ask for consistency, and good agencies try to keep a small, regular team. No agency can guarantee the same person every visit because of holidays and sickness, so ask how many different carers you are likely to see in a typical week.
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. Sources: NICE quality standard QS123 (Home care for older people), Care Quality Commission guidance on the regulated activity of personal care, Homecare Association, West Sussex County Council adult social care, GOV.UK Attendance Allowance. General information, not financial, legal or medical advice — figures are indicative and subject to change.