Adult social care
Getting help with care in Sandwell
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is the place to start. Any adult who seems to need help may be assessed, free to you, whatever your savings. Call 0121 569 7474 (option 4).
Last reviewed: 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.
Start a request with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council or call 0121 569 7474 (option 4).
Adult Social Care Connect is the first point of contact for adults needing care and support and for carers wanting a carer's assessment.
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, capital is disregarded, and in between a tariff income applies. For care at home, the house is disregarded. For a care home it usually is counted, unless a partner, or a relative who qualifies, is still living in it, though not for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay.
Costs and contributions in Sandwell
Typical prices for care in and around Sandwell, and an estimate of what the person would pay towards it and what Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council might pay. The calculator starts with local prices; change them to a quote you have.
| 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 | 2026/27: home care £22.12 per hour; OP residential £775.11 per week; OP nursing £775.11 per week (excl. FNC), OPMH nursing £832.79 (excl. FNC) |
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).
Rules applied (2026/27, England): savings above £23,250 usually mean paying in full; below £14,250 they are ignored; in between, every £250 adds £1 a week of assumed income. Allowances: minimum income guarantee £241.45 a week (single, pension age) and personal expenses allowance £31.80 a week. Official source: GOV.UK charging circular. Your council does the real calculation and may be more generous.
3. Take the funding yourself
A direct payment puts you in charge: you hire the agency or carer. You can ask for one whenever the council contributes to the cost.
If you look after someone
Unpaid carers have a right to be assessed in their own right, free to you.
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council: support for carers. Nearby help for carers: Sandwell Carers.
Council resources
- Services directory: Information Point
- What the council pays: 2026/27: home care £22.12 per hour; OP residential £775.11 per week; OP nursing £775.11 per week (excl. FNC), OPMH nursing £832.79 (excl. FNC) (source). Choosing a pricier provider means paying the gap.
Local picture: Sandwell
HC-One No.5 Limited and The Sandwell Community Caring Trust jointly run the most registered services in Sandwell, 5 each. 0 care homes in Sandwell are rated Outstanding, and 21 are rated Requires improvement or Inadequate (27% of those rated; the England share is 17%).
11% of rated care homes in Sandwell were rated in the last two years. The typical rating is 80 months old, against 47 across England. CQC registers 94 care homes in Sandwell. 79 are rated, and 73% of these are Good or Outstanding; the England figure is 83%. 28% (26) are registered to provide nursing care.
Over the last 12 months CQC published 10 ratings for services in Sandwell: 2 were upgraded, most recently on 25 September 2026. 90 home care agencies are registered with CQC in Sandwell. Of the 52 with a rating, 75% are Good or Outstanding, short of the England figure of 88%.
New in the past year: 2 agencies and 12 care homes joined the CQC register in Sandwell. Among care homes in Sandwell, Well-led is the area most often rated below Good: 33 of the 79 with a Well-led rating.
Source: our analysis of CQC data (Oct 2026).
Care guides for Sandwell
- How much care costs in Sandwell
- How care is paid for in Sandwell
- How to get assessed for care in Sandwell
- Dementia care in Sandwell
- Learning disability care in Sandwell
- Mental health care in Sandwell
- Physical disability care in Sandwell
- Sight and hearing loss care in Sandwell
- Highest rated care homes in Sandwell
- Highest rated home care agencies in Sandwell
- Nursing homes in Sandwell, ranked
Sandwell is part of Sandwell. Home care across Sandwell · Care homes across Sandwell · Top rated in Sandwell
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Choosing a care home: the 40-point checklist
Forty questions on staffing, daily life, rooms, fees and the contract, laid out so you can compare three homes.
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Frequently asked
How many care homes are there in Sandwell?
There are 94 care homes registered with CQC in Sandwell, with 2,187 beds in total (CQC register, Oct 2026). 73% of those with a published rating are Good or Outstanding. Best rated care homes in Sandwell.
How many home care agencies are there in Sandwell?
90 home care agencies registered with CQC are based in Sandwell (Oct 2026). 75% of those rated are Good or Outstanding. Agencies based nearby may also cover the area.
How good are care homes in Sandwell?
73% of rated care homes in Sandwell are Good or Outstanding, below the England figure of 82.6%. 0 are rated Outstanding and 21 Requires improvement or Inadequate. See how other areas compare.
How much does a care home cost in Sandwell?
A care home in Sandwell 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. Work out what you would pay.
How much does home care cost per hour in Sandwell?
Home care in Sandwell 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 Sandwell are rated Outstanding?
No care homes in Sandwell are currently rated Outstanding. 58 are rated Good. See the best rated.
How many care homes in Sandwell offer nursing or dementia care?
26 care homes in Sandwell are registered to provide nursing care and 35 list dementia as a specialism. The two often overlap. Nursing homes in Sandwell.
Is it hard to find a care home bed in Sandwell?
Sandwell has 42.4 care home beds for every 1,000 people aged 65 and over, against 43.0 across England, which ranks 68 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 Sandwell?
72.2% of rated care homes in Sandwell were last rated more than four years ago, and the typical rating is 80 months old. Note the rating date and ask the home what is different now.
How do I ask Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council for a care needs assessment?
Contact Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council adult social care on 0121 569 7474 (option 4). The assessment is free for anyone who appears to need care, whatever their savings, and is a legal right under the Care Act 2014. Online assessment request.
Which care groups run the most care homes in Sandwell?
The largest providers in Sandwell are HC-One No.5 Limited (5), Voyage 1 Limited (4) and The Sandwell Community Caring Trust (4). CQC rates every home on its own.
Paying privately, or topping up? Tell us what's needed and we'll pass your request to up to three providers in Sandwell that take enquiries through us. Only the ones you tick see your details.
Find care with spaceReferences
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/adult-social-care
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/adult-social-care/contact-adult-social-care
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/carers/ask-care-support-assessment
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/carers/paying-care-support
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/carers/paying-care-support/2
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/carers/direct-payments
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/supportforcarers
- www.sandwell.gov.uk/carers/carers-assessment
- 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.