Home care · Sunderland

Home help in Houghton-le-Spring

Home help covers the everyday jobs that get harder with age: cleaning, laundry, shopping, cooking, errands and a bit of company, so someone can keep living independently at home. Compare the 70 CQC-registered agencies covering Houghton-le-Spring and ask which of them provide it.

CQC register data as of 27 October 2026 · Prices: Typical 2026 prices across England

Written by our editorial team, then checked. How we write guides · How we make money

Key points

  • Agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Houghton-le-Spring: 70, with 57 rated Good or Outstanding.
  • Ask each agency about home help; the CQC register has no record of who provides it.
  • 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.
  • Sunderland council must offer a free care needs assessment.

Cite this: The Care Panel, "Home help in Houghton-le-Spring", 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.

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 Sunderland council what low-cost services exist. How to ask Sunderland council for an assessment.

How people pay for home help

Most people pay privately, by the hour. Sunderland 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.

Houghton-le-Spring's agencies in figures

On their CQC registrations, 54 of 70 list physical disabilities, 38 of 70 list learning disabilities and 45 of 70 list mental health conditions. Dementia appears on 51 of 70 registrations here (73%), compared with 77% in Sunderland as a whole. Housing 21 - Bramble Hollow has the oldest rating still in force, from October 2018. Shiney Row has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (82%); Houghton-le-Spring, at 81%, is 2nd of the 7 towns compared. At 100% Good or Outstanding, Houghton-le-Spring sits above the Sunderland figure of 96% (from 174 agencies). The Care and Support Group Wearside is the most recently registered, joining the CQC register in April 2026.

Home help prices in Houghton-le-Spring

Typical 2026 prices across England
Visiting carearound £32–£34 an hour
Live-in carearound £1,540–£1,610 a week

What the council pays (Sunderland City Council): £22.92 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £919.36 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £929.04 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. For 2026/27, the Homecare Association says council-funded home care in England is only sustainable at £34.42 an hour or more. Source: Lottie Care Index, Q3 2026. Work out a weekly cost · What would we pay?

Home care agencies in and around Houghton-le-Spring

Ask each agency whether it provides home help. Ranked by CQC rating and how recent it is, then distance.

  1. Blue Ribbon Community Care (Tyne and Wear)

    5.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £32–£39/hr

    OutstandingRated Jun 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (Blue Ribbon Community Care (Tyne and Wear))

  2. Home Instead Durham

    5.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £34–£42/hr

    OutstandingRated Nov 2023
    View profile (Home Instead Durham)

  3. Cergus Prime Care Durham and Sunderland

    2.0 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Oct 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (Cergus Prime Care Durham and Sunderland)

  4. Vanguards Healthcare Ltd

    2.0 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Dec 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (Vanguards Healthcare Ltd)

  5. Abbeyfield Hope Bank View

    3.8 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (Abbeyfield Hope Bank View)

  6. Medsolve (UK) Limited

    4.0 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Feb 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (Medsolve (UK) Limited)

  7. New Vision Care Services

    4.1 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (New Vision Care Services)

  8. Social Return Case Management Ltd

    4.6 miles · Older people, Adults under 65, Caring for children (0 - 18yrs)

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Nov 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (Social Return Case Management Ltd)

  9. ESPA Agency

    4.8 miles · Learning disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Dec 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (ESPA Agency)

  10. Cura Care

    5.7 miles · Older people, Physical disabilities, Mental health conditions

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (Cura Care)

  11. Support Health and Wellbeing Ltd

    5.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Aug 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (Support Health and Wellbeing Ltd)

  12. Sunderland

    5.7 miles · Older people, Adults under 65

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jun 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (Sunderland)

  13. Vestra Homecare Sunderland

    5.9 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Mar 2025Inspected recently
    View profile (Vestra Homecare Sunderland)

  14. Include 'In' Autism

    6.2 miles · Physical disabilities, Sensory impairments, Mental health conditions

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (Include 'In' Autism)

  15. TLC Community Services Limited

    6.3 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jan 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (TLC Community Services Limited)

  16. Quality + Care Solutions Ltd

    6.7 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2026Inspected recently
    View profile (Quality + Care Solutions Ltd)

  17. Lifeways Community Care (Sunderland)

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

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Feb 2023
    View profile (Lifeways Community Care (Sunderland))

  18. Elegance Care and Support

    2.1 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jul 2022
    View profile (Elegance Care and Support)

  19. Office NE

    3.8 miles · Older people, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairments

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Feb 2023
    View profile (Office NE)

  20. Orchard Home Care Services Limited

    4.0 miles · Dementia, Older people, Physical disabilities

    Est. £30–£37/hr

    GoodRated Jun 2023
    View profile (Orchard Home Care Services Limited)

The full list: 70 agencies covering Houghton-le-Spring →

What families ask about home help in Houghton-le-Spring

Which home care agencies offer home help in Houghton-le-Spring?

CQC does not record which agencies provide home help. 70 CQC-registered home care agencies have an office within 7 miles of Houghton-le-Spring; 57 are rated Good or Outstanding. Ask each whether it provides home help.

How much does home help cost in Houghton-le-Spring?

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.

Will the council fund help with housework?

Sometimes, if Sunderland 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 Houghton-le-Spring rated?

Of 57 agencies with a CQC rating, 57 (100%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 51, and 16 have a rating or inspection from the past two years.

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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.

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