Home care · Dorset
Home care in Dorchester
26 home care agencies registered with CQC cover Dorchester. Among the 17 with a CQC rating, 100% are Good or Outstanding, against 99% across Dorset and 88% across England. 2 are Outstanding. Typical fees here come to about £33.50 an hour for visiting care and £1,610 a week for live-in careestimated. 5 home care agencies were last rated over four years ago and 7 registered in the last two years. The most recent rating was Somerleigh Court, rated Good on 12 October 2026.
Updated 27 October 2026 from the CQC register (Open Government Licence)
Quick summary
- A care needs assessment from Dorset council is free, and your savings do not affect it.
- CQC rates 17 of the 17 agencies with a rating as Good or Outstanding, with 9 not yet rated.
- 21 list dementia as a specialism.
- Rating changes in Dorset are checked each day. See what changed recently.
To cite: "Home care in Dorchester", The Care Panel, Oct 2026, from CQC register analysis.
- 26agencies on the CQC register
- 100%Good or Outstanding, among those rated
- 21offer dementia support
- 6with a rating or inspection since October 2024
| Care | Dorchester | South West | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visiting care, an hour | £33.50 | £33.50 | £33.50 |
| Live-in care, a week | £1,610 | £1,610 | £1,610 |
Dorchester home care agencies, ranked
Order: CQC rating first, then how recent that rating is, then distance. Our ranking method
- All 26
- Elderly care · 25
- Care for adults under 65 · 23
- Dementia care · 21
- Physical disability care · 21
- Sensory impairment care · 17
- Mental health care · 14
- Learning disability care · 10
- Supported living · 4
- Children's care · 3
Somerleigh Court
What inspectors found: Medicines were not always safely stored and administered.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Everycare (Wessex) Limited
What inspectors found: We undertook an announced inspection visit to the service on 1 June 2026.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Agincare UK Dorchester
What inspectors found: Not everyone who used the service received personal care.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Alina Homecare - Dorchester
What inspectors found: This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Altogether Care - Care At Home Limited Weymouth
What inspectors found: The service was providing care and support to people in their own homes.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Home Instead
What inspectors found: Everyone we spoke with praised the care and support they received.
Est. £33–£40/hr
Employ My Ability (EMA)
What inspectors found: Right Support People told us, and showed us, they felt safe.
Est. £30–£37/hr
GoodOaks Homecare – Dorchester and Weymouth
What inspectors found: People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management of the service and the registered manager.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Shauna Health Care Service Solutions Limited
What inspectors found: Right Support: People received care and support in their own homes, there were appropriate risk assessments in place to support them and maintain their…
Est. £30–£37/hr
Apex Prime Care - Dorchester
What inspectors found: Right Support: People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible…
Est. £30–£37/hr
Reablement Service
What inspectors found: Right Support People told us staff made them feel safe.
Est. £30–£37/hr
YourLife (Poundbury)
What inspectors found: People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm.
Est. £30–£37/hr
All About Care (South West) Limited
What inspectors found: The service provides support to people who live in their own homes.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Encompass Care Respite Accommodation and Outreach Service
What inspectors found: The home is on two floors and is close to the town centre.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Better Care at Home
What inspectors found: We gave the service a short period of notice that we would be attending as we needed to ensure that senior personnel would be…
Est. £32–£39/hr
iDirect - West Dorset
What inspectors found: Following the last inspection, people's experiences had improved significantly and they now received outstandingly effective and responsive care and support from a well led…
Est. £32–£39/hr
Caremark (Weymouth & West Dorset)
What inspectors found: People told us they felt safe and cared for by staff who were friendly, respectful and attentive to their needs.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Calmliving Healthcare
Est. £29–£36/hr
A1 Care - Dorchester Branch
Est. £29–£36/hr
2 Victory Court
Est. £29–£36/hr
Destiny healthcare
Est. £29–£36/hr
Kisumen Care Services Limited - Dorset
Est. £29–£36/hr
Chele Care Limited
Est. £29–£36/hr
Care Unlimited Dorchester Ltd
Est. £29–£36/hr
Birch Social Limited
What inspectors found: Not everyone who used the service received personal care.
Est. £29–£36/hr
Kingsley Home Care Weymouth and Dorset Service
Est. £29–£36/hr
We measure distance from Dorchester centre to the agency's office; care happens at your home, so confirm the agency covers your road.
How much home care costs in Dorchester
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
What the council pays (Dorset Council): £27.67 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,156.40 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,183.10 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source). Where a provider charges more, the extra is usually met by a top-up.
Agencies differ more than regions do on hourly rates, so request a complete tariff from each one, covering weekends and bank holidays too. The Homecare Association puts the minimum sustainable price for council-funded home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out your weekly cost or ask local providers for their prices.
Council help
Dorset
A care needs assessment from Dorset council is free whatever your savings. With savings below £23,250, the council may help pay.
Asking Dorset for an assessment, and how payment and direct payments work
24-hour, overnight and live-in care in Dorchester
Round-the-clock care at home is arranged in one of two ways: live-in care, where one carer lives in and has a daily break and a proper night's sleep, or daytime visits plus waking nights, where a second carer stays awake all night. Typical prices: Live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week. CQC does not record which agencies provide it, so ask each one.
Dementia care at home in Dorchester
21 of the 26 agencies covering Dorchester are registered with CQC to support people living with dementia, and 14 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. Compare the 21 registered for dementia.
A closer look at the data for Dorchester
Counting all listed agencies, not only rated ones, Dorchester (65% Good or Outstanding) is 5th out of 7 local towns, led by Corfe Mullen (83%). 2 Outstanding agencies are covering Dorchester, against 3 across Dorset. Across Dorset, 33% of agencies have a rating under two years old; covering Dorchester it is 19%. Across Dorset we list 225 agencies, and 98% of those rated are Good or Outstanding; covering Dorchester the figure is 100%. On their CQC registrations, 21 of 26 list physical disabilities, 10 of 26 list learning disabilities and 14 of 26 list mental health conditions. Kingsley Home Care Weymouth and Dorset Service is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in March 2026. Better Care at Home has the oldest rating still in force, from January 2018. Dementia appears on 21 of 26 registrations here (81%), compared with 81% in Dorset as a whole.
Care groups with agencies covering Dorchester
- Welford Healthcare 1 locally
- Agincare 1 locally
- Alina Homecare 1 locally
- Altogether Care - Care At Home Limited 1 locally
- Shauna Health Care Service Solutions Limited 1 locally
- Cera Care 1 locally
- Care Dorset Limited 1 locally
- Yourlife Management Services Limited 1 locally
- Encompass Care Organisation UK 1 locally
- Better Care at Home 1 locally
- iDirect Independent Living Limited 1 locally
- Caremark 1 locally
- Calmliving Healthcare Limited 1 locally
- Work Experience Limited 1 locally
- Kisumen Care Services Ltd 1 locally
- Kingsley Home Care Services Limited 1 locally
Most recent ratings
CQC's most recently published ratings for agencies covering Dorchester.
How Dorchester compares with towns nearby
| Nearby town | Distance | Total | Good or Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester | – | 26 | 17 |
| Weymouth | 6.8 mi | 38 | 25 |
| Sherborne | 16.7 mi | 22 | 13 |
| Upton | 18.4 mi | 82 | 65 |
| Yeovil | 18.4 mi | 20 | 13 |
| Corfe Mullen | 19.2 mi | 81 | 67 |
Each count is agencies whose office is within 7 miles; many serve more than one town.
Free · by email
Free care cost report for Dorchester
- Typical local prices for home care, overnight and live-in care
- What the council and the NHS may pay, with the 2026/27 savings limits
- The best-rated services near you, from the CQC register
Home care in Dorchester: your questions answered
How many agencies provide home care in Dorchester?
26 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of Dorchester (CQC register, Oct 2026). Well-rated choices include Somerleigh Court, Everycare (Wessex) Limited and Agincare UK Dorchester.
How does CQC rate home care agencies in Dorchester?
17 (100%) are rated Good or Outstanding, out of 17 with a rating, 2 of them Outstanding. 9 have not been rated yet, which is common for newly registered services.
What does home care cost in Dorchester?
Typical prices across England in 2026: visiting care around £32–£34 an hour; live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week. Agencies differ more than regions do on hourly rates, so request a complete tariff from each one, covering weekends and bank holidays too. The Homecare Association puts the minimum sustainable price for council-funded home care in England at £34.42 an hour for 2026/27. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. See our full cost guide.
Does Dorset council fund home care?
Two sources of help: Attendance Allowance, which ignores savings and is for people over State Pension age, and the council. By law (Care Act 2014) Dorset council must assess care needs at no charge for people who look as if they need support; if savings and investments are under £23,250, it may pay a share once your finances are assessed, depending on income. With care at home, the house itself is not included. How to reach Dorset council.
How do I choose between agencies in Dorchester?
Read the most recent CQC report and check its date. Here, 6 of 26 were inspected or rated within the last two years, and 11 have an older report. Before signing, ask about staff continuity, how they handle missed visits and the full price. See the checklist.
Are there more home care agencies in towns near Dorchester?
In Dorchester there are 26, 17 rated Good or Outstanding. The closest towns on our site are Weymouth (6.8 miles): 38, 25 rated Good or Outstanding; Sherborne (16.7 miles): 22, 13 rated Good or Outstanding; Upton (18.4 miles): 82, 65 rated Good or Outstanding.
Busy? Let us pass your request to providers.
Describe what's needed in one form. We send it to as many as three Dorchester providers who accept enquiries via The Care Panel, and they email you back.
Home care near Dorchester
- Home care in Weymouth 6.8 mi
- Home care in Sherborne 16.7 mi
- Home care in Upton 18.4 mi
- Home care in Yeovil 18.4 mi
- Home care in Corfe Mullen 19.2 mi
- Home care in Poole 21.4 mi
- Home care in Wimborne Minster 21.7 mi
- Home care in Martock 22.8 mi
Other help in Dorchester
- Care after a hospital stay in Dorchester
- Live-in care in Dorchester
- Overnight care in Dorchester
- 24-hour care in Dorchester
- Respite care in Dorchester
- Home help in Dorchester
- How to pay for care in Dorset
- Best rated home care agencies in Dorset
- Home care prices across England, 2026: regional and council averages
- Top rated 2026: services rated Outstanding in Dorset
- Care homes in Dorchester (13)
- Who pays for home care
- What to look for in a home care agency
- How the council assesses care needs
- What CQC ratings mean
Postcode districts
- DT1 22
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CQC register data (Oct 2026), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is independent of every provider listed.