Home care · Thurrock
Home help in Grays
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 217 CQC-registered agencies covering Grays and ask which of them provide it.
Updated 27 October 2026 (CQC register) · Prices: Usual 2026 prices across England
Key points
- 217 home care agencies registered with CQC have an office within 7 miles of Grays, and 89 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.
- Thurrock council has to offer a care needs assessment free of charge.
Citation: "Home help in Grays", The Care Panel analysis of CQC register data, 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. Thurrock 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 Thurrock council what low-cost services exist. Requesting an assessment from Thurrock council.
Grays's agencies in figures
The oldest current rating dates from January 2018 (Kent Enablement at Home). Counting all listed agencies, not only rated ones, Grays (41% Good or Outstanding) is 4th out of 7 local towns, led by Stanford-le-Hope (50%). Compare Grays's 88% Good or Outstanding with 87% for the rated agencies among the 506 we list in Thurrock. The newest registration is Liv Inn Support Ltd, registered with CQC in September 2026. By specialism, 185 of 217 list physical disabilities, 102 of 217 list learning disabilities and 126 of 217 list mental health conditions. 168 of the 217 agencies (77%) list dementia as a specialism, against 80% across Thurrock.
What home help costs in Grays
| Visiting care | around £32–£34 an hour |
|---|---|
| Live-in care | around £1,540–£1,610 a week |
What the council pays (Thurrock Council): £23.42 an hour for home care (2025/26 average paid to agencies); £843.76 a week for residential care (2025/26 average, over-65s); £977.35 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. 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. Estimate the weekly cost or see what you might pay
Home care agencies serving Grays
Check with each agency that it offers home help. Order: CQC rating, then how recent, then distance.
Shelagh Care Services Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Caremark Thurrock
Est. £30–£37/hr
Akaba Social UK Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Grays Riverside
Est. £30–£37/hr
Ignition Care Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Access 24/7 Healthcare Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Unite Highland Care Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Blanche Caring Heart Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
Best2 Care Ltd – Gravesend Office
Est. £30–£37/hr
Austen Allen Homecare - Gravesham
Est. £30–£37/hr
Utopia Care Limited - Thurrock Branch
Est. £30–£37/hr
Right at Home Bexley & Dartford
Est. £30–£37/hr
City Support Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
Beersheba Social Care Services Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
The Base Business Park
Est. £30–£37/hr
Austen Allen Homecare - Dartford
Est. £30–£37/hr
Operations Office
Est. £34–£42/hr
Nomase Supported Limited
Est. £30–£37/hr
All4One Care Services Ltd
Est. £30–£37/hr
6 Celtic Farm Road
Est. £34–£42/hr
What families ask about home help in Grays
Where can I find home help in Grays?
217 agencies on the CQC register have an office within 7 miles of Grays, and 89 hold a Good or Outstanding rating. Which of them provide home help is not recorded by CQC: ask them.
How much does home help cost in Grays?
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.
Can I get home help from the council?
Only as part of meeting eligible needs after an assessment by Thurrock 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.
Are home care agencies in Grays well rated?
89 of the 101 rated agencies (88%) are Good or Outstanding; 168 list dementia as a specialism and 29 were inspected or rated in the last two years.
Arranging home help in Grays?
Tell us what's needed once. Featured partners and up to three rated agencies that take enquiries through us reply to you directly, by email.
Care options in Grays
Home help in nearby towns
- Home help in Northfleet 3.5 mi
- Home help in Aveley 3.7 mi
- Home help in Gravesend 4.2 mi
- Home help in Stanford-le-Hope 5.4 mi
- Home help in Dartford 5.4 mi
- Home help in Rainham, Havering 6.6 mi
- Home help in Hartley 6.7 mi
- Home help in Basildon 8.3 mi
Provider details from the Care Quality Commission register, updated Oct 2026. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The Care Panel is not a care provider.