Find a private carer near you, and meet them first

No. PrimeCarers introduces families to self-employed private carers and handles the contract, invoices and payments. We don’t employ carers, supply them or supervise their care, and we hold no CQC registration. You choose the carer, and you agree the care with them directly.

A private carer is a self-employed carer you arrange directly, rather than through an agency. They set their own rate, you choose them and agree the visits with them, and they come to you each time rather than a rota of different faces. Private carers explains more.

Put your postcode into the search on this page. You’ll see the private carers who cover your area, with their rates, reviews and the help they offer. Message the ones you like, then meet them before you book.

Searching and messaging carers is free. Each carer sets their own rate and our fee is already included in it, so the rate on a profile is what you pay. Visits are typically £20 an hour, overnight care starts from £130 a night, and live-in care is typically £1,120 a week. Our prices has the full breakdown.

Before a carer can be booked we check their identity and right to work in the UK, and they need an enhanced DBS check issued in the last 2 years (PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland). Each carer also has an online interview with our team. We don’t check qualifications or training, so ask the carer about those before you book. How we check carers goes through each check.

Yes, and we recommend it. Message the carers you like, then meet them by video or at home. Nothing is booked until you and the carer agree the visits.

Yes. Carers on PrimeCarers offer hourly visits, sleeping and waking nights, and live-in care, where a carer lives in the home. Live-in care starts from £1,050 a week. Live-in care and overnight care explain how each works.

Use our urgent finder. We reply within 30 minutes and look for carers who can start quickly. Asking is free, and there is a one-off £40 fee only if you go ahead with a carer we find. We can’t promise someone will be free, but we will look. Emergency care has the details.

No, and neither is PrimeCarers. You agree the visits with a self-employed carer under a written agreement, they invoice for the hours worked, and they are responsible for their own tax and National Insurance. Self-employed carer or employee explains how that works.

Insurance cover applies to each visit booked through PrimeCarers, subject to the policy terms.

Usually, yes. A direct payment is there to be spent on meeting assessed needs, and a self-employed carer you choose is a common way to do that. Payment runs through PrimeCarers, so the invoices for the visits you booked are there when the council reviews your spending. Check with your council’s direct payments team before you start, as rules differ. How direct payments work.

Tell us and our team will help you look for another carer on PrimeCarers. We can’t guarantee cover, so it’s worth agreeing a back-up plan with your carer early on, such as a second carer who knows the routine.

Yes. PrimeCarers charges nothing to stop or change care. The notice you give your carer is set in the contract: 48 hours until 168 hours of care have been worked, and 7 days after that.

PrimeCarers has carers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. How many cover your area depends on where you live, and towns and cities have more than rural areas. Search your postcode to see who is near you.