If you’re looking for care at home, you might be wondering what the best option is. Some people prefer to use a care agency, whereas others hire a private carer to provide their care. Which is the right choice for you?

There’s no right or wrong answer. 

Some people prefer care agencies, because they can handle more of the administration – and make sure that you’re always supported, even if your usual carer is away. 

However, for some people, it’s more important to know that they can choose their own carer, and they prefer to use private carers, even if there’s more admin work involved. 

In this guide, we’ll explain exactly what care agencies and private carers are, and how you can decide which is the right choice for you or your loved one. 

Are you looking for care urgently? Find Your Room can help. 

We know that looking for care can be stressful – and time-consuming. It’s frustrating to call care providers that sound perfect, only to find out that they don’t have any vacancies right now. 

Whether you’re looking for home care or would prefer to move to a care home or supported living scheme, we can find a suitable care service with availability. Simply use our website or app care search to find the right care provider for you or your loved one.

What is a care agency?

A care agency is an organisation that provides home carers for clients who need support. 

Their carers will visit you in your home and provide personal care, help with medication, and support with meals. They may also help with housework, getting out and about, and provide companionship.

Depending on your needs and preferences, your carer might visit you to provide care, or they might live in with you. 

Lots of people prefer to receive their care through an agency. That’s often because it involves less admin than hiring a private carer.

When you sign a contract with a care agency, they agree to provide a certain number of care hours each week. If your usual carer isn’t available, the agency will send another one in their place. They’ll also take care of all the necessary background checks, training, and other administration.

However, because a care agency may employ lots of carers and support lots of clients, you may not see the same support worker at each visit. Some people prefer to have more control over who provides their care, so they hire a private carer instead.

What is a private carer?

A private carer is an individual carer who provides the support you need to live at home. 

Like care agencies, private carers can usually provide personal care, medication support, meal planning and preparation, companionship, and light housekeeping. They might accompany you to appointments, help you attend college, or go on other outings with you. 

For most people who hire private carers, consistency is important. They want to make sure that they know who’ll be visiting their home and providing their care. 

Unlike with a care agency, you’ll interview and choose your own carer, so you can find someone who meets your exact requirements. 

If your private carer is unavailable, you’ll need to arrange cover yourself.

As private carers are usually employed directly, you’ll often become an employer. There are some legal responsibilities that come with this, such as:

  • making sure your employee has the right to work in the UK
  • setting up a payroll system
  • having the right insurance

Some carers are self-employed. If this applies to your carer, you’re hiring them as a contractor – in the same way as you might hire a builder or a painter. This means that you don’t have to provide a workplace pension, offer paid annual leave, or arrange a payroll system. However, most carers are classed as employed. This is because you’re dictating their hours, routines, and the exact tasks that they must do. 

You can check your carer’s employment status on the HMRC website.

Private carers vs care agencies: which is the right choice?

Deciding whether you want to use a private carer or a care agency is a personal choice. There’s no right or wrong answer. However, some people have a clear preference. 

We’ve put together some of the key differences to help you decide which option is right for you.

Consistency

With a private carer, you’ll see the same support worker every time. Care agencies might send different carers, depending on availability.

Care agencies often try to make sure that you see the same carers, but they can’t guarantee it.

Many people like to have the same carer for each visit. This lets you build up a relationship with the care worker. They’ll become familiar with how you like everything, and should notice even the smallest of changes in your health or wellbeing.

Of course, if you need 24-hour support or care throughout the day and night, you might need to employ multiple carers – each individual support worker will need time off. You’ll also need to arrange for someone else to visit if your usual carer is ill or on holiday.

Choice

You’ll get to pick exactly who delivers your care if you choose a private carer.

If you use a care agency, you’ll see one of their care team, but you may not always get your first choice of carer. 

When you employ a private carer, though, you’ll go through the advertising and interviewing process yourself, and can choose a carer who is right for you. For example, if you want to find a carer who enjoys talking about football, who speaks Polish, or who likes gardening, you have the freedom to look for exactly the right person.

Holidays, sickness and other absences

A care agency will arrange cover if your usual carer is unavailable. If you employ a private carer, you’ll need to plan for absences yourself.

Care agencies will have lots of carers on their books, so if your usual carer is on holiday or sick, they’ll send someone else. You won’t need to take any action – the agency will make sure that your care is covered.

If you employ a private carer, you’ll need to have a backup available for times when your usual carer isn’t available. This might be a friend or family member, or you might choose to use a care agency or stay in a care home for a short while.

You won’t always know in advance that a carer will be unavailable, either. When you have a contract with a care agency, you’ll have a central number to call if your carer misses a visit, or is late. If you employ a private carer, you’ll need to arrange emergency cover yourself. 

Costs

Private carers usually cost less than care agencies. 

If you use an agency, your carer won’t get the full amount that you pay, though. This is because an agency’s fees will include various admin and operational costs, such as insurance, training costs, and other staff overheads. 

If keeping costs low is important to you, a private carer might be the right choice. However, you may need to pay some additional costs when you employ a private carer. This could include the cost of protective equipment such as gloves and aprons, employer’s liability insurance, holiday pay, and other payroll and admin costs. With a care agency, all of these costs will be included in the standard charge.

Worried about costs? Find out more about paying for care.

Training 

A care agency will make sure their carers are trained, but if you employ a private carer, you’ll need to arrange this yourself.

There are no formal qualifications needed to become a carer, so you don’t need to make sure that applicants have completed a certain number of GCSEs or A-levels. However, you’ll need to make sure that your carer knows what they’re doing and can safely support you.

All carers should be trained in:

  • Moving and handling
  • Health and safety awareness
  • Safeguarding
  • Fire safety
  • Infection prevention and control
  • First aid and basic life support

If your carer will support you with meals, then they’ll also need food hygiene training, and if they help you with medication, they’ll need training in medication administration. They may also need training on your specific health needs and any equipment that you use. 

Most of this training should be updated and refreshed regularly. You’ll need to make sure that your carer has time to take these courses, and you’ll usually need to pay for them yourself.

If you’d rather not arrange training for your carer, then a care agency might be the easier choice for you.

Background checks

A care agency will do background checks on their staff. If you become an employer, you’ll need to arrange these checks for your private carer.

Background checks include:

  • A Right to Work check, to make sure that the person has the right to work legally in the UK
  • An enhanced DBS check, to find out about any criminal convictions and make sure that they are allowed to work with vulnerable adults
  • Employment references, to verify their past work history 
  • Qualification checks, to prove that they have appropriate qualifications to carry out their role

If you prefer not to take on this extra admin, you might prefer to use a care agency.

Inspections

Private carers don’t have to be registered with the CQC. 

This means that they won’t be inspected, and you may not know if there are issues with how they’re delivering care and keeping you safe.

However, agencies that provide personal care will be inspected regularly. Inspectors will look at the agency’s paperwork, interview carers and clients, and observe while care is being delivered. 

If you want to know that your carers are regulated and regularly inspected, a care agency might be the right choice for you.

Your responsibilities

As the employer of a private carer, you’ll have a variety of responsibilities. Care agency clients will have less admin to do here.

We’ve already talked about training, pre-employment checks, and arranging cover. However, there are more employer responsibilities, too.

Employer responsibilities may include:

  • Setting up a payroll system and making the right deductions for tax and national insurance
  • Setting up a workplace pension for your employee
  • Making sure you have employer’s liability insurance and any other appropriate cover
  • Making sure that your employee has the right amount of annual leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, and the appropriate payments
  • Making sure that there are no health and safety risks in the employee’s workplace (your home)

If you’d rather do less admin, a care agency might be the right choice for you. However, some care seekers find that they’d rather take on the extra admin so that they have more control over who provides their support.

How to find a private carer or care agency near me

You may already have a private carer or care agency in mind. If so, you can contact them directly to talk about your needs and ask about their availability. However, if you don’t, there are a few ways you can find the right care for you.

You could talk to your social worker or hospital discharge team, if appropriate. They may have advice about local organisations who can help you.

You could ask local friends and family for advice. They may have recommendations based on their own experience, or know private carers looking for clients.

You could search online for local private carers or care agencies. Find Your Room can help you here. Using our care search, you can look for individual carers or care agencies. Simply enter your location, and choose from the filter options. We’ll show you a list of appropriate carers who can support you with your needs.