Council care and support
Adult social care in Birmingham: how to get help
Help with care in Birmingham starts with Birmingham City Council. Anyone who appears to need support can ask for a free care needs assessment, whatever their savings. Adult social care: 0121 303 1234.
We last compared these details with the official website on 15 October 2026.
1. Ask for a care needs assessment
The assessment is free and is a legal right under the Care Act 2014. It looks at what the person can and cannot manage, and whether they meet the national eligibility criteria. It does not commit you to council-arranged care.
Ask for an assessment or call 0121 303 1234.
Adult social care phone lines are open Monday to Thursday 8.45am to 5.15pm and Friday 8.45am to 4.15pm; carer's assessments are carried out by Birmingham Carers Hub on the council's behalf.
2. Find out what you will pay
If the person is eligible, the council carries out a financial assessment. In England, someone with savings above £23,250 is usually expected to fund the care in full; below £14,250, savings are left out of the sums, and in between a tariff income applies. For care at home, the property they live in is ignored. For a care home it usually is counted, unless a partner or certain relatives still live there, though not for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay.
What care could cost in Birmingham
Here are local price ranges. The calculator below uses them to split the cost between the person and the council; swap in a real quote if you have one.
| Service | Usual price |
|---|---|
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
| Residential care home | £1,206 a week |
| Nursing home | £1,400 a week |
| Council rate | 2025/26: home support £23.35 per hour; older adult care homes £728 per week (without nursing) and £831 per week (with nursing) |
Typical 2026 prices across England · Average 2026 self-funder fees in West Midlands · Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026 · Which?, self-funder fees (Lottie data, January 2026).
Uses England's 2026/27 rules. Capital limits are £23,250 (upper) and £14,250 (lower); each £250 between them counts as £1 a week of income. A single person over pension age keeps at least £241.45 a week at home, and £31.80 a week in a care home. See the GOV.UK charging circular. Treat the result as a guide only: the council's own financial assessment decides, and some 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.
If you look after someone
Unpaid carers have a right to be assessed in their own right, free to you.
Birmingham City Council: support for carers. Carers' service locally: Birmingham Carers Hub.
Council resources
- The council's directory: The Care Directory - care in Birmingham
- Council rates: 2025/26: home support £23.35 per hour; older adult care homes £728 per week (without nursing) and £831 per week (with nursing) (source). If you top up to a dearer provider, you pay the difference.
What the data shows for Birmingham
At the other end of the scale from the 4 Outstanding care homes, 59 of the area's rated care homes (23%) are Requires improvement or Inadequate, compared with 17% nationally. Among care homes in Birmingham, Well-led is the area most often rated below Good: 91 of the 252 with a Well-led rating. Responsive has the most Outstanding ratings (7 of 252).
17% of rated care homes in Birmingham were rated in the last two years. The typical rating is 79 months old (47 for England as a whole). The largest provider company in Birmingham by number of services is Sense, with 10 care homes. Next is Accomplish Group Limited with 6.
CQC published 42 ratings for services in Birmingham in the last 12 months: 9 were upgraded, 1 fell, 6 services were rated for the first time. The most recent was on 7 October 2026. 77% of rated care homes in Birmingham are Good or Outstanding, behind the England average of 83%. The area has 283 homes, 252 of them rated. Of these, 77 provide nursing, which is 27% of homes in the area.
In the last 12 months, Birmingham gained 21 newly registered home care agencies and 14 new care homes. In Birmingham, 77% of rated home care agencies are Good or Outstanding (175 rated out of 316 registered). Across England the figure is 88%.
Based on the register as of Oct 2026.
Guides for Birmingham
- Care prices in Birmingham
- Paying for care in Birmingham
- Care needs assessments in Birmingham
- Dementia care in Birmingham
- Learning disability care in Birmingham
- Mental health care in Birmingham
- Physical disability care in Birmingham
- Sight and hearing loss care in Birmingham
- Birmingham: best rated care homes
- Top rated home care agencies in Birmingham
- Nursing homes in Birmingham
Birmingham is part of Birmingham. Home care across Birmingham · Care homes across Birmingham · Top rated in Birmingham
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Visiting care homes? Take this 40-point checklist
Covers CQC checks, staff, daily routine, rooms, fees and contracts, with columns for three homes.
Towns in Birmingham
Birmingham
Royal Sutton Coldfield
Your questions
How many care homes are there in Birmingham?
There are 283 care homes registered with CQC in Birmingham, with 7,605 beds in total (CQC register, Oct 2026). 77% of those with a published rating are Good or Outstanding. Best rated care homes in Birmingham.
How many home care agencies are there in Birmingham?
316 home care agencies registered with CQC are based in Birmingham (Oct 2026). 77% of those rated are Good or Outstanding. Agencies based nearby may also cover the area.
How good are care homes in Birmingham?
77% of rated care homes in Birmingham are Good or Outstanding, below the England figure of 82.6%. 4 are rated Outstanding and 59 Requires improvement or Inadequate. Council areas ranked for care home quality.
How much does a care home cost in Birmingham?
A care home in Birmingham costs a typical £1,300 a week for someone paying for themselves: about £1,300 for residential care and £1,540 for nursing care. Our Care Fees and Quality Index (Q4 2026) models these prices; real quotes will vary. Check what you could be charged.
How much does home care cost per hour in Birmingham?
Home care in Birmingham 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 Birmingham are rated Outstanding?
Robert Harvey House, The Oaks Care Home, Victoria Lodge Care Home and Manor House are rated Outstanding by CQC.
How many care homes in Birmingham offer nursing or dementia care?
77 care homes in Birmingham are registered to provide nursing care and 126 list dementia as a specialism. The two often overlap. Nursing homes in Birmingham.
Is it hard to find a care home bed in Birmingham?
Birmingham has 48.5 care home beds for every 1,000 people aged 65 and over, against 43.0 across England, which ranks 30 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 Birmingham?
67.5% of rated care homes in Birmingham were last rated more than four years ago, and the typical rating is 79 months old. Note the rating date and ask the home what is different now.
How do I ask Birmingham City Council for a care needs assessment?
Contact Birmingham City Council adult social care on 0121 303 1234. The assessment is free for anyone who appears to need care, whatever their savings, and is a legal right under the Care Act 2014. Ask for an assessment online.
Which care groups run the most care homes in Birmingham?
The largest providers in Birmingham are Sense (10), Anchor Hanover Group (6) and Accomplish Group Limited (6). 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.birmingham.gov.uk/ContactAdultSocialCare
- www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20208/contact_us/229/useful_telephone_numbers
- www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50036/paying_for_adult_care_and_support/1128/your_care_and_support_-_how_much_you_will_have_to_pay
- www.birmingham.gov.uk/directpayments
- www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20065/information_for_carers/1183/what_is_a_carers_assessment
- www.birmingham.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/30167/care_fees_increase_summary_for_2025_to_2026.pdf
- gov.uk: Care Act statutory guidance
Built from the Care Quality Commission's register (Oct 2026) under Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel lists and compares services but runs none.