Home care · Kent
Home care in Dover
There are 22 home care agencies on the CQC register covering Dover, run by 21 different providers. The largest is Lauriem Complete Care Limited, with 2. Of the 16 CQC has rated, 81% are Good or Outstanding, next to 82% across Kent and 88% across England; 1 is Outstanding. Our estimate of typical fees here: about £33.50 an hour for visiting care and £1,610 a week for live-in careestimated. 13 home care agencies have a rating more than four years old and 4 registered with CQC within the past two years. On 27 April 2026, Scodef Care was rated Requires improvement, the newest rating here.
Source: CQC register · Updated 27 October 2026 · Open Government Licence
Key points
- We check for new CQC ratings in Kent daily: see the latest changes.
- 15 are registered with CQC to support people with dementia.
- You can ask Kent council for a free care needs assessment; savings make no difference.
- Good or Outstanding: 13 of the 16 rated agencies, 3 are rated Requires improvement or Inadequate. 6 are not rated yet.
Reference this page as: The Care Panel, "Home care in Dover", Oct 2026, based on the CQC register.
- 22CQC-registered agencies
- 81%of those rated are Good or Outstanding
- 15list dementia as a specialism
- 1inspected or rated in the last 2 years
| Care | Dover | South East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visiting care, an hour | £33.50 | £33.50 | £33.50 |
| Live-in care, a week | £1,610 | £1,610 | £1,610 |
Agencies covering Dover, ranked
Sorted on CQC rating and its date, with distance used last. How we rank
OutstandingGoodRequires improvementInadequateNot yet ratedMap © OpenFreeMap © OpenStreetMap
- All 22
- Care for adults under 65 · 19
- Elderly care · 18
- Physical disability care · 16
- Mental health care · 15
- Dementia care · 15
- Sensory impairment care · 12
- Learning disability care · 10
- Substance misuse support · 5
- Supported living · 5
- Eating disorder support · 3
Priory Supported Living Kent
What inspectors found: Some documentation lacked information and specific detail.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Inchwater Home Care
What inspectors found: People, their relatives, staff and health and social care professionals continued to be consistently positive about the service.
Est. £34–£42/hr
Chameleon Care Ltd (Dover)
Est. £30–£37/hr
Royal Care Dover
Est. £30–£37/hr
Nurse Plus UK - Dover
What inspectors found: Two days' notice of the inspection was given because we needed to be sure that people who wanted to speak to us were available…
Est. £30–£37/hr
Dover
What inspectors found: People were involved in planning their care, initially through a comprehensive assessment which was followed by regular reviews.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Bluebird Care Canterbury, Thanet, Folkestone and Dover
What inspectors found: People told us they felt safe being supported by staff from Bluebird Care.
Est. £32–£39/hr
Wave Hill
What inspectors found: This included older people and younger adults some of whom were living with learning disabilities and mental health illness.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Liberty Lodge Limited
What inspectors found: People enjoyed living at the service and had done for a number of years.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Helping Hands Folkestone
What inspectors found: People told us they felt safe and staff knew how to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm.
Est. £29–£35/hr
Caremark (Dover)
What inspectors found: People and their relatives spoke positively about the support they received.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Camelot Lodge
What inspectors found: Camelot Lodge also oversees a small supported living service.
Est. £30–£37/hr
United Response - Kent DCA
What inspectors found: It provides a service to a range of people including adults who have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health needs.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Scodef Care
What inspectors found: Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of personal care.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Hawkinge House
What inspectors found: At the last inspection people and their relatives told us that communication was poor.
Est. £30–£37/hr
Expertise Homecare (South East Coast)
What inspectors found: People spoke positively about how well they were treated by staff and praised the agency.
Est. £30–£37/hr
LDC Care Co Supported Living - Birch Tree
Est. £29–£36/hr
Vibrant Care Home Dover
Est. £29–£36/hr
Lauriem Beeches (EC)
Est. £29–£36/hr
Lauriem Ceaser Court (EC)
Est. £29–£36/hr
Ever Kind Care Ltd
Est. £29–£36/hr
Channel Community Care Ltd
Est. £29–£36/hr
Distances are measured from the centre of Dover to each office. Carers travel to you, so ask whether your street is covered.
24-hour, overnight and live-in care in Dover
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.
Home care prices in Dover
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
Kent County Council's own rates: £28.05 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £1,186.81 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £1,378 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source). Choosing a provider that charges more usually means paying the difference as a top-up.
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 your weekly cost or ask local providers for their prices.
Council support
Kent
Kent council assesses care needs free of charge regardless of savings, and may contribute when savings are below £23,250.
Dementia care at home in Dover
15 of the 22 agencies covering Dover are registered with CQC to support people living with dementia, and 7 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. Compare the 15 registered for dementia.
A closer look at the data for Dover
Kent has 11 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Dover the figure is 1. Of Dover and the 6 nearest towns we cover, Dover has the highest share of all listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding (59%); next is Folkestone at 59%. 81% of rated agencies covering Dover are Good or Outstanding, compared with 80% of those rated among the 831 we list across Kent. Two-year-old ratings or newer: 5% covering Dover, 9% across Kent. CQC registered Lauriem Beeches (EC) in March 2026, the newest on this list. Looking at specialisms, 16 of 22 list physical disabilities, 10 of 22 list learning disabilities and 15 of 22 list mental health conditions. In Dover, 68% of agencies support people with dementia (15 of 22); the Kent figure is 77%. One rating goes back to February 2018: Camelot Lodge. Ask what has changed since.
Care groups with agencies covering Dover
- Clece Care Services 2 locally
- Priory Group 1 locally
- Home Instead 1 locally
- Chameleon Care Limited 1 locally
- Sreevijay Ltd 1 locally
- Nurse Plus and Carer Plus (UK) Limited 1 locally
- Meridian Community Care Limited 1 locally
- Bluebird Care 1 locally
- Midshires Care Limited 1 locally
- ACL Homes Plus Limited 1 locally
- United Response 1 locally
- Scodef Ltd 1 locally
- Deer Capital 1 locally
- LDC Care Company Ltd 1 locally
- Faseha Healthcare Recruitment Ltd 1 locally
Latest CQC ratings
Ratings CQC published most recently, for agencies covering Dover.
How Dover compares with towns nearby
| Place | How far | Agencies | Rated Good or Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | – | 22 | 13 |
| Deal | 6.8 mi | 19 | 10 |
| Folkestone | 6.8 mi | 22 | 13 |
| Sandwich | 9.5 mi | 28 | 15 |
| Canterbury | 13.5 mi | 41 | 20 |
| Ramsgate | 14.7 mi | 32 | 19 |
Agencies with an office within 7 miles of each town. Many cover several towns.
Free · by email
Free care cost report for Dover
- 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 Dover: your questions answered
Home care in Dover: how many agencies are there?
As of Oct 2026, the CQC register lists 22 home care agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Dover. Highly rated options include Priory Supported Living Kent, Inchwater Home Care and Chameleon Care Ltd (Dover).
How are home care agencies in Dover rated by CQC?
CQC has rated 16. Of those, 13 (81%) are Good or Outstanding, including 1 Outstanding, while 3 are rated below Good. 6 are awaiting a first rating, as is usual for new registrations.
How much should I expect to pay for home care in Dover?
Prices typically seen across England in 2026: visiting care around £32–£34 an hour; live-in care around £1,540–£1,610 a week. 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. Our cost guide has more detail.
Can Kent council help pay for home care?
Possibly. Under the Care Act 2014, Kent council has a duty to assess, free of charge, anyone who seems to need care and support. After a means test, the council may pay towards care when savings and investments total less than £23,250, depending on income; your home's value is ignored for care at home. Attendance Allowance does not depend on savings or income. Contacting Kent council.
How can I pick between agencies in Dover?
Check how recent each CQC report is first: 1 of the 22 on this page was inspected or rated in the past two years, while 15 have older reports. Next ask three things: will staff be consistent, what happens about missed visits, and what is the full price? Our checklist.
What about home care agencies in towns near Dover?
Dover has 22, with 13 rated Good or Outstanding. Nearby: Deal (6.8 miles): 19, 10 rated Good or Outstanding; Folkestone (6.8 miles): 22, 13 rated Good or Outstanding; Sandwich (9.5 miles): 28, 15 rated Good or Outstanding.
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Nearby: home care around Dover
- Home care in Deal 6.8 mi
- Home care in Folkestone 6.8 mi
- Home care in Sandwich 9.5 mi
- Home care in Canterbury 13.5 mi
- Home care in Ramsgate 14.7 mi
- Home care in Broadstairs 16.5 mi
- Home care in Margate 17.2 mi
- Home care in Herne Bay 17.4 mi
More for Dover, plus guides
- Home care after hospital in Dover
- Live-in care in Dover
- Overnight care in Dover
- 24-hour care in Dover
- Respite care in Dover
- Home help in Dover
- Help paying for care in Kent
- Best rated home care agencies in Kent
- England home care costs 2026, region by region
- Kent's Outstanding-rated services (2026)
- Care homes in Dover (19)
- Funding home care: who pays
- Choosing a home care agency
- Preparing for a care needs assessment
- Understanding CQC ratings
Also covered by these agencies: St Margaret's at Cliffe, Whitfield.
Postcode districts
- CT16 7
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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.