Home care · Kent

Home help in Hartley

Help with housework, shopping, meals and errands, often alongside a chat and a cup of tea: that is home help, and it keeps many older people independent for longer. 158 agencies registered with CQC cover Hartley. Check with each one that it provides this kind of care.

Agency data: CQC register · Updated 27 October 2026 · Prices: Typical 2026 prices across England

From The Care Panel's editors; checked before it went live. How we write guides · How the site is paid for

Key points

  • 158 home care agencies registered with CQC have an office within 7 miles of Hartley, and 62 of them hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
  • Home help is usually charged by the hour; visiting care here typically costs around £32–£34 an hour, and housework-only help can cost a little less.
  • Ask each agency about home help; the CQC register has no record of who provides it.
  • Kent council must offer a free care needs assessment.

Cite this: The Care Panel, "Home help in Hartley", analysis of the CQC register, Oct 2026.

Home help: the usual tasks

  • Cleaning, laundry, ironing and changing beds
  • Shopping and collecting prescriptions
  • Preparing meals
  • Post, bills and appointments
  • Company and trips out

Washing, dressing and medication are personal care, which must come from a CQC-registered home care agency.

How people pay for home help

Most people pay privately, by the hour. Kent council can fund practical help only where it is part of meeting eligible needs after an assessment, which housework alone rarely is. Many older people use Attendance Allowance to cover it. More: home help for the elderly and the difference between home help and home care.

Who provides home help

Choose a home care agency if personal care may be needed later, because the same carers can take it on. For housework alone, a cleaner or a local help-at-home scheme may cost less, though these are not CQC-regulated. Ask local charities and Kent council what low-cost services exist. How to ask Kent council for an assessment.

What the register shows for Hartley

At 89% Good or Outstanding, Hartley sits above the Kent figure of 80% (from 831 agencies). Ratings are more recent than average here: 12% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 9% across Kent. Kent has 11 Outstanding agencies, none of them covering Hartley. Of Hartley and the 6 nearest towns we cover, Hartley ranks 4th for the share of all listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding (39%); Grays is highest at 41%. The share registered for dementia is 80% in Hartley (126 of 158) and 77% across Kent. Oldest rating on the list: Kent Enablement at Home, January 2018. Most recent to register: MCK Support (July 2026). On their CQC registrations, 134 of 158 list physical disabilities, 77 of 158 list learning disabilities and 95 of 158 list mental health conditions.

Paying for home help in Hartley: typical prices

Typical 2026 prices across England
Visiting carearound £32–£34 an hour
Live-in carearound £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).

Hourly rates vary between agencies more than between regions; ask each agency for its full price list, including weekend and bank holiday rates. Homecare Association figure for 2026/27: a sustainable council rate for home care in England starts at £34.42 an hour. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Tools: weekly cost calculator and what would we pay?

Home care agencies covering Hartley

Not confirmed for home help, so ask. Listed by CQC rating and rating date, then distance.

  1. Blanche Caring Heart Ltd

    3.9 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (Blanche Caring Heart Ltd)

  2. Austen Allen Homecare - Gravesham

    4.0 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (Austen Allen Homecare - Gravesham)

  3. Best2 Care Ltd – Gravesend Office

    4.8 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (Best2 Care Ltd – Gravesend Office)

  4. City Support Limited

    5.4 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Oct 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (City Support Limited)

  5. Beersheba Social Care Services Limited

    5.6 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated May 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (Beersheba Social Care Services Limited)

  6. Austen Allen Homecare - Dartford

    5.6 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Oct 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (Austen Allen Homecare - Dartford)

  7. Nomase Supported Limited

    5.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Dec 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (Nomase Supported Limited)

  8. The Base Business Park

    5.9 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Sep 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (The Base Business Park)

  9. Ignition Care Ltd

    6.1 miles · Dementia, Older people, Adults under 65

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated May 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (Ignition Care Ltd)

  10. Right at Home Bexley & Dartford

    6.1 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Dec 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (Right at Home Bexley & Dartford)

  11. Grays Riverside

    6.1 miles · Adults under 65, Caring for children (0 - 18yrs)

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (Grays Riverside)

  12. Access 24/7 Healthcare Ltd

    6.3 miles · Older people, Mental health conditions, Learning disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jun 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (Access 24/7 Healthcare Ltd)

  13. Unite Highland Care Limited

    6.3 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Nov 2024Inspected recently
    Full profile (Unite Highland Care Limited)

  14. Akaba Social UK Ltd

    6.3 miles · Older people, Mental health conditions, Learning disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2025Inspected recently
    Full profile (Akaba Social UK Ltd)

  15. Shelagh Care Services Limited

    6.4 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2026Inspected recently
    Full profile (Shelagh Care Services Limited)

  16. Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services, Safeharbour Memory Wellbeing Centre

    3.5 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated May 2022
    Full profile (Alzheimer's and Dementia Support Services, Safeharbour Memory Wellbeing Centre)

  17. Conscience Care Limited

    4.2 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2023
    Full profile (Conscience Care Limited)

  18. Zander Mackenzie Care U.K. Limited

    4.4 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Oct 2023
    Full profile (Zander Mackenzie Care U.K. Limited)

  19. Atman Care

    5.1 miles · Older people, Mental health conditions, Learning disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Aug 2024
    Full profile (Atman Care)

  20. MC Care

    5.5 miles · Dementia, Older people

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Nov 2022
    Full profile (MC Care)

The full list: 158 agencies covering Hartley →

Questions about home help in Hartley

Which home care agencies offer home help in Hartley?

158 agencies on the CQC register have an office within 7 miles of Hartley, and 62 hold a Good or Outstanding rating. Which of them provide home help is not recorded by CQC: ask them.

How much is a home help per hour in Hartley?

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 Kent 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 Hartley rated?

Of 70 agencies with a CQC rating, 62 (89%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 126, and 21 have a rating or inspection from the past two years.

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Register information from CQC as at Oct 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0 applies. We do not deliver care ourselves.

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