Home Help in Fareham: Costs, Funding and 120 Local Agencies (Oct 2026)

What home help includes

Typical tasks are cleaning and tidying, laundry and ironing, changing beds, food shopping and collecting prescriptions, preparing meals, help with post and bills, and getting out to appointments or the shops. Many people also value the company. Home help does not include personal care such as washing, dressing or help with medication: for that you need a home care agency registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Agency, cleaner or council?

Many home care agencies in Fareham provide home help as well as personal care, which is useful if needs grow. A cleaner or a local "home help" service can be cheaper for housework alone, but is not regulated by CQC. Some councils and charities run low-cost help-at-home or shopping services. How to ask Hampshire council for an assessment.

Paying for home help

Home help is usually charged by the hour, at or just below the rate for visiting care. Hampshire council may include practical help in a care plan if a care needs assessment finds eligible needs, though help with housework alone often does not qualify. Attendance Allowance, which is not means-tested, is often used to pay for it. See home help for the elderly and home help vs home care.

Fareham's agencies in figures

One rating goes back to January 2018: Dimensions Portsmouth Domiciliary Care Office. Ask what has changed since. In Fareham, 75% of agencies support people with dementia (90 of 120); the Hampshire figure is 82%. Registered specialisms here: 105 of 120 list physical disabilities, 63 of 120 list learning disabilities and 69 of 120 list mental health conditions. CQC registered Pilarstone Care Ltd in October 2026, the newest on this list. Ratings are about as recent as the council average here: 18% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 16% across Hampshire. At 86% Good or Outstanding, Fareham sits below the Hampshire figure of 90% (from 721 agencies). Ranked against the 6 closest towns on our site by the share of every listed agency that is rated Good or Outstanding, Fareham comes 2nd of 7 (51%), with Portsmouth top at 52%. Hampshire has 17 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Fareham the figure is 5.

Home help prices in Fareham

Prices typically seen across England in 2026
Visiting care	around £32–£34 an hour
Live-in care	around £1,540–£1,610 a week

What Hampshire County Council pays providers: £25.90 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,245 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,365 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

The gap between agencies is bigger than the gap between regions. Ask for prices in writing, and check what weekends and bank holidays cost. According to the Homecare Association, councils across England should pay no less than £34.42 an hour for home care in 2026/27 if it is to be sustainable. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?

What families ask about home help in Fareham

Which home care agencies offer home help in Fareham?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides home help. Of the 120 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Fareham, 61 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does home help cost in Fareham?

Home help is usually charged by the hour, at or a little below the local rate for visiting care. Ask each agency for its hourly rate, minimum visit length and any weekend charges in writing.

Does the council pay for home help?

Sometimes, if Hampshire council's care needs assessment finds eligible needs and practical help is part of meeting them. Help with housework alone often does not qualify, so many people use Attendance Allowance, which is not means-tested, to pay privately.

Is home help the same as home care?

No. Home help is practical help with housework, shopping and errands. Home care, or personal care, includes help with washing, dressing, eating and medication, and must be provided by an agency registered with the Care Quality Commission.

How are agencies covering Fareham rated?

Of 71 agencies with a CQC rating, 61 (86%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 90, and 22 have a rating or inspection from the past two years.

Home help in Fareham: ask who can help

Describe what's needed in one form, and featured partners and as many as three rated agencies that accept enquiries via The Care Panel email you back.

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Data: CQC register, Oct 2026, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We are an independent directory and do not provide care.

Home help in Fareham