Council care and support
Adult social care in Barnsley
Help with care in Barnsley starts with Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Anyone who appears to need support can ask for a free care needs assessment, whatever their savings. Phone 01226 773300.
We last compared these details with the official website on 15 October 2026.
1. Request an assessment
The Care Act 2014 gives this right to anyone who appears to need care and support, at no cost. An assessor works through daily tasks and compares any difficulties with national eligibility rules. Nothing obliges you to accept services afterwards.
Ask for an assessment, or phone 01226 773300.
You can also contact adult social care online; for urgent out-of-hours adult social care referrals call 01226 774466.
2. Work out your contribution
Eligible people then have their finances checked. The national limits: above £23,250 the person generally pays for all of it; under £14,250, savings are left out of the sums; between the two, a notional "tariff income" is added. With help at home, the home itself is left out; in residential care, property usually counts unless a partner or certain relatives still live there, but is ignored for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay.
Care cost estimate for Barnsley
The table gives typical regional prices. Underneath, a calculator estimates who pays what, starting from those rates, which you can overwrite.
| Kind of care | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
| Residential care home | £1,115 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,400 a week |
| What Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council pays | 2025/26: older people residential £806.42 per week (EMI £866.58); nursing same base rate plus FNC (excl. FNC) |
Typical 2026 prices across England · Average 2026 self-funder fees in Yorkshire and the Humber · Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026 · Which?, self-funder fees (Lottie data, January 2026).
Based on the 2026/27 charging rules for England: upper capital limit £23,250, lower £14,250, £1 a week assumed income for every £250 in between, minimum income guarantee £241.45 a week (pension age, single person), personal expenses allowance £31.80 a week. Source: GOV.UK charging circular. This is an estimate, not a financial assessment; your council will do the real one, and some councils are more generous.
3. Choosing your own provider
Rather than have services arranged for you, ask for the council's share as cash and make your own arrangements, an agency included.
Support for family carers
Carers are entitled to their own free carer's assessment, separate from the person they look after.
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council: support for carers. In the area: Barnsley Carers Service.
More from the council
- The council's directory: Live Well Barnsley
- Rates the council publishes: 2025/26: older people residential £806.42 per week (EMI £866.58); nursing same base rate plus FNC (excl. FNC) (source). If you top up to a dearer provider, you pay the difference.
What the data shows for Barnsley
56 home care agencies are registered with CQC in Barnsley. Of the 51 with a rating, 96% are Good or Outstanding, ahead of the England figure of 88%. CQC registers 70 care homes in Barnsley. 66 are rated, and 82% of these are Good or Outstanding; the England figure is 83%. Of these, 13 provide nursing, which is 19% of homes in the area.
Ratings for care homes in Barnsley are a median 40 months old, compared with 47 nationally, and 39% were given in the last two years. CQC added 3 home care agencies and 3 care homes in Barnsley to its register over the past year; new services may not be rated yet.
At the other end of the scale from the 5 Outstanding care homes, 12 of the area's rated care homes (18%) are Requires improvement or Inadequate, against 17% in England. In the past year, 26 new CQC ratings came out for Barnsley (2 moved to a higher rating, 1 went down, 4 were first ratings); the latest is dated 13 October 2026.
The strongest area is Caring, where 8 of 66 care homes are Outstanding. Barlow Care Group Ltd runs more registered services in Barnsley than any other provider: 4 care homes and 1 home care agency. Next is Aspire In The Community Ltd with 3.
Data: CQC, Oct 2026.
More guides for Barnsley
- What care costs in Barnsley
- Who pays for care in Barnsley
- Getting a care needs assessment in Barnsley
- Dementia care in Barnsley
- Learning disability care in Barnsley
- Mental health care in Barnsley
- Physical disability care in Barnsley
- Sight and hearing loss care in Barnsley
- Top rated care homes in Barnsley
- Barnsley: best rated home care agencies
- Barnsley nursing homes compared
Barnsley sits within Barnsley. Home care across Barnsley · Care homes across Barnsley · Top rated in Barnsley
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Covers CQC checks, staff, daily routine, rooms, fees and contracts, with columns for three homes.
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Your questions
How many care homes are there in Barnsley?
There are 70 care homes registered with CQC in Barnsley, with 2,256 beds in total (CQC register, Oct 2026). 82% of those with a published rating are Good or Outstanding. Best rated care homes in Barnsley.
How many home care agencies are there in Barnsley?
56 home care agencies registered with CQC are based in Barnsley (Oct 2026). 96% of those rated are Good or Outstanding. Agencies based nearby may also cover the area.
How good are care homes in Barnsley?
82% of rated care homes in Barnsley are Good or Outstanding, about the same as the England figure of 82.6%. 5 are rated Outstanding and 12 Requires improvement or Inadequate. Compare all council areas.
How much does a care home cost in Barnsley?
A care home in Barnsley costs a typical £1,270 a week for someone paying for themselves: about £1,270 for residential care and £1,560 for nursing care. Our Care Fees and Quality Index (Q4 2026) models these prices; real quotes will vary. Estimate your own contribution.
How much does home care cost per hour in Barnsley?
Home care in Barnsley costs a typical £33.50 an hour for someone paying privately (Q4 2026). Expect higher rates for evenings, weekends and bank holidays, and check the shortest visit each agency offers.
Which care homes in Barnsley are rated Outstanding?
Deangate Care Home, Woodways, Ariya House, Dearnevale and Mapplewell Manor are rated Outstanding by CQC.
How many care homes in Barnsley offer nursing or dementia care?
13 care homes in Barnsley are registered to provide nursing care and 42 list dementia as a specialism. The two often overlap. Nursing homes in Barnsley.
Is it hard to find a care home bed in Barnsley?
Barnsley has 43.8 care home beds for every 1,000 people aged 65 and over, against 43.0 across England, which ranks 58 of 151 council areas. Fewer beds usually means fewer vacancies to choose from, so start looking early. Care Access Gap.
How old are care home ratings in Barnsley?
34.8% of rated care homes in Barnsley were last rated more than four years ago, and the typical rating is 40 months old. Note the rating date and ask the home what is different now.
How do I ask Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council for a care needs assessment?
Contact Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council adult social care on 01226 773300. The assessment is free for anyone who appears to need care, whatever their savings, and is a legal right under the Care Act 2014. Start an assessment request online.
Which care groups run the most care homes in Barnsley?
The largest providers in Barnsley are Barlow Care Group Ltd (4), St Philips Care Limited (3) and Aspire In The Community Ltd (3). CQC rates every home on its own.
Funding care yourself? Describe what is needed; we send it to a maximum of three local providers who accept enquiries via our site, and just those you select.
Check availabilitySources we used
- www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/adult-health-and-social-care/how-to-get-help/get-a-social-care-assessment/
- www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/adult-social-care/how-we-can-help-with-your-care-needs/personal-budgets-for-adult-social-care/
- www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/adult-social-care/information-for-carers/
- www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/adult-social-care/information-for-carers/carer-support-groups-and-organisations/
- www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/adult-social-care/find-a-service-on-live-well-barnsley/
- www.barnsley.gov.uk/media/nhdhawwb/foi4231-fee-rates.pdf
- gov.uk: Care Act statutory guidance
Register information from CQC as at Oct 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0 applies. We do not deliver care ourselves.