Tell us your postcode and what you need help with. We send you a shortlist of up to three CQC-registered providers in your area. You choose which of them can contact you, and nothing is sent until you do.
How this works
- You tell us the area and the need. A postcode, who the care is for, and roughly what would help — personal care, company, nights, live-in, or simply “we don’t know yet”.
- We send you a shortlist. Up to three CQC-registered providers covering that postcode, each with a link to its current inspection report. Providers on our panel pay us a fee for each enquiry they receive, and we tell you that up front.
- You choose. Pick the providers you want to hear from: one, two or all three. Only those receive your details. If you would rather approach them yourself, we will give you their details and send nothing.
You may not need us at all. These free routes are often the right first step:
- Start with the council. A care needs assessment from your local council is free, is a legal right under the Care Act 2014, and does not commit you to council-arranged care.
- Check the money before you buy anything. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, and for care at home the property is not counted — our funding home care sets out the thresholds.
- Approach agencies directly. Take the questions in how to choose an agency with you, and check each provider on the CQC register first.
What we are, and what we are not
The Care Panel is an independent publication. We are not a care provider and we are not regulated by the Care Quality Commission, because we do not deliver care. We are not a price-comparison site, and we do not rank providers by what they pay. Your shortlist is based on location, the care needed, availability and CQC rating.
You stay in control of who calls. Services that blast a single enquiry to six agencies produce a week of cold calls at the worst possible moment for a family. We send your details only to the providers you pick, and never to more than three.
The fee, stated plainly
Care providers on our panel pay us a fee for each qualified enquiry we send them. You pay us nothing, and the fee does not change the rate you are quoted. We tell you the arrangement exists before your details go anywhere, because a recommendation you are not told is paid for is not a recommendation.
Independent, free alternatives exist and are often the right first call. Your local council provides a free care needs assessment to anyone who appears to need support — a legal right under the Care Act 2014, regardless of savings. Your council’s online care directory, your local Age UK and your local carers’ centre all give free advice. We would rather you used those than paid for hours you do not need.
Before you enquire
Three things worth doing first, because they change what you should ask for:
- Request the council assessment. It is free, it does not commit you to council-arranged care, and it establishes what your relative is entitled to. See our how a care needs assessment works.
- Check the money. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, and for care at home the value of the property is not counted. Our funding home care covers the thresholds.
- Know the going rate. Hourly care in South East England typically runs £28–£38 and live-in care £1,400–£1,700 a week; London is usually higher and much of the North lower. Our 2026 home care costs sets out the benchmarks so a quote can be judged.
When you do speak to an agency, take the questions in how to choose a home care agency with you, and read the provider’s report rather than just its rating — CQC ratings explained covers what each section actually means.
Your details
We use what you give us to prepare your shortlist and to send your enquiry to the providers you choose, and nothing else. We do not sell data, we do not add you to a marketing list, and we never send your details to a provider you have not picked. You can ask us to delete your details at any time. Full detail is in our privacy policy.
Areas we cover
We cover the whole of England. Search by postcode or town to see the CQC-registered providers near you, or browse home care agencies and care homes county by county.