Home Help in Guildford: Costs, Funding and 55 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 Guildford 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 Surrey 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. Surrey 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.

Agencies covering Guildford: the data

One rating goes back to December 2017: Home Instead Guildford and Woking. Ask what has changed since. In Guildford, 89% of agencies support people with dementia (49 of 55); the Surrey figure is 84%. By specialism, 47 of 55 list physical disabilities, 26 of 55 list learning disabilities and 30 of 55 list mental health conditions. CQC registered Purple Solace Care Limited in October 2026, the newest on this list. Ratings are about as recent as the council average here: 20% of agencies have one less than two years old, compared with 22% across Surrey. At 97% Good or Outstanding, Guildford sits above the Surrey figure of 91% (from 1,090 agencies). Godalming has the highest share of listed agencies rated Good or Outstanding nearby (83%); Guildford, at 67%, is 3rd of the 7 towns compared. Surrey has 16 Outstanding agencies in total; covering Guildford the figure is 4.

How much home help costs in Guildford

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

What the council pays (Surrey County Council): £24.87 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £952.38 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £988.04 a week for nursing care (2025/26 average, over-65s) (source).

Ask every agency for a full list of charges, with weekend and bank holiday rates: hourly rates vary more between agencies than between regions. 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?

Home help in Guildford: common questions

Which home care agencies offer home help in Guildford?

Ask each agency: CQC keeps no record of who provides home help. Of the 55 registered agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Guildford, 37 are rated Good or Outstanding.

How much does home help cost in Guildford?

Expect an hourly charge close to the local visiting care rate, sometimes slightly less for housework only. Check the minimum visit length and weekend rates before you book.

Does the council pay for home help?

Only as part of meeting eligible needs after an assessment by Surrey council; housework on its own rarely qualifies. Attendance Allowance, which ignores savings, is often used to pay for home help.

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 Guildford rated?

Of 38 agencies with a CQC rating, 37 (97%) are Good or Outstanding. Dementia is a specialism for 49, and 14 have a rating or inspection from the past two years.

Need home help in Guildford?

One short form: featured partners and a maximum of three rated agencies working with us will contact you directly by email.

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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.

Home help in Guildford