The short answer
- Personality matters as much as the task listA companion who shares an interest or a sense of humour with your relative usually settles in faster than one who is simply available.
- Families usually choose between three routesA care agency, hiring somebody privately, or a platform like PrimeCarers. What changes between them is who chooses, what is checked, and how easy it is to change your mind.
- Know exactly what being vetted coversOn PrimeCarers that means an identity check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check on the Update Service, and an online interview, not qualifications or references.
- Talk to somebody before you bookA phone call or a short trial visit tells you more about whether a companion suits your relative than any profile can.
Companion carers on PrimeCarers charge £15 to £20 an hour with our fee included. Agencies charge £28 to £35.
What matters most
What makes someone the right companion, not just an available one
A companion spends time with your relative rather than working through a list of tasks, so the personal side of the match carries more weight than it would for personal care. These are the things worth checking before you decide.
A shared interest or a similar sense of humour
The biggest factor by far
A calm, patient way of talking
Especially if your relative repeats themselves or takes time to answer
Respect for your relative's own pace and choices
Company, not control
Somebody who turns up when they say they will
Reliability, over everything else
Why company from the same familiar face matters this much is set out in what are the advantages of companionship care?, and once you have found somebody who fits, activities to try with a companionship carer has ideas for what fills a visit.
Where families look
The three routes families usually choose between
Most families end up comparing a care agency, hiring somebody privately, or a platform such as PrimeCarers. The differences are less about the person you end up with and more about who chooses them, what has been checked beforehand, and how easily you can change your mind.
A care agency
£28 to £35 an hour
- Who chooses
- The agency assigns whoever is on the rota
- Checked before you meet them
- Vetted by the agency before you meet them
- If it is not a good match
- Ask the agency to send someone different
Hiring privately, off any platform
£16 to £18 an hour
- Who chooses
- You find and choose someone yourself
- Checked before you meet them
- Down to you, unless you arrange it separately
- If it is not a good match
- Straightforward, but you handle it alone
PrimeCarers
£15 to £20 an hour, fee included
- Who chooses
- You browse profiles and message who you like
- Checked before you meet them
- ID, right to work, enhanced DBS and an online interview, before a profile appears
- If it is not a good match
- Message another carer directly, any time
A care agency assigns a companion from its own staff, which is straightforward but leaves you with less say over who comes through the door. Hiring somebody privately, through a noticeboard, a classified advert or somebody you know, can cost less, but the checking is down to you entirely: ask for identification, ask direct questions about their experience, and consider a short trial before agreeing anything regular. PrimeCarers sits between the two. You choose who to message from a profile that already shows they have been through our checks, and you keep the same control over the arrangement that hiring privately gives you. How much does a companion carer cost? sets out a full week of visits at each of these rates.
What the checks cover
What being vetted on PrimeCarers covers, and what it does not
Every carer on PrimeCarers goes through the same checks before their profile is visible to anyone. It is worth knowing exactly what that means, because it does not cover everything, and the rest is worth asking about yourself.
Checked before a profile goes live
- Identity, confirmed against official documents
- The right to work in the UK
- An enhanced DBS check, kept current on the Update Service
- An online interview with a member of our team
Not checked, so ask directly
- Qualifications or formal training, since companionship does not require any
- References, which sit on a carer's own profile rather than being verified by us
- How a particular carer will get on with your relative specifically, which only a conversation or a visit can tell you
The same four checks apply to every carer on PrimeCarers, whatever kind of care they provide, and how we vet every carer sets out what each one involves.
Meeting and a trial visit
Talking to somebody before you commit to a regular visit
A profile and a set of checks tell you someone is safe to consider. Only a conversation, and ideally a short visit, tells you whether they are the right fit for your relative.
- 1
Have a phone call first
Before you meetAsk about their experience, what a usual visit looks like for them, and what they enjoy talking about. Mention anything about your relative a stranger would want to know before turning up, such as a hearing difficulty or a condition like dementia. - 2
Write down the routine
So nothing gets missedNote your relative's typical day, what they like to be called, a few safe topics of conversation, and anything that upsets or confuses them. Hand this to the carer before the first visit rather than explaining it all in the doorway. - 3
Book a short first visit rather than a long one
An hour or two is usually enough to tellWatch, or ask your relative afterwards, how the visit went. A good match is usually obvious after the first meeting, and it costs far less to try again than to commit to a pattern that is not working. - 4
Decide together, if you can
Especially if your relative can say what they thinkAsk your relative what they thought, even if they need help finding the words. Their comfort with the person matters more than anything you notice from the doorway.
If the first visit does not feel right, say so and try somebody else. Find a carer lets you message as many carers as you need to before booking anything regular, and there is no obligation at any point.
How to start
From this page to the first visit
Most families move from deciding they need a companion to having someone booked within a week.
- 1
Write down what you are looking for
TodayA rough idea of interests, personality and the days and times you need covered. This is what you will search and message carers with. - 2
Search companionship carers near your relative
FreeEvery profile shows a carer's rate, experience, interests and availability, and every carer has had an identity check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check on the Update Service, and an online interview before it goes live. - 3
Message two or three, and speak to them
This weekMost families decide on a phone call rather than a profile alone. Ask the questions above, and trust how the conversation feels. - 4
Book a first visit, then decide together
Week 1Start with a single visit before committing to a regular pattern. If it works, a regular pattern can be built up gradually. If you later want to stop with a particular carer, the notice in the contract is 48 hours for hourly visits, or 7 days for live-in care once 168 hours have been worked.
Questions
Questions families ask about finding a companion
An identity check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check kept current on the Update Service, and an online interview with a member of our team, all completed before their profile appears. How we vet every carer sets out what each of these covers.
No. Companionship does not require formal qualifications, so we do not check for them, and a carer's references sit on their own profile rather than being verified by us. If a particular kind of experience or a reference matters to you, ask the carer about it directly before you book.
Often, a little. Hiring privately, off any platform, typically costs £16 to £18 an hour against £15 to £20 on PrimeCarers with our fee included. The saving comes with the checking, the contract and finding someone suitable left entirely to you.
Yes, if you can. An hour or two tells you far more than a phone call about whether your relative is comfortable with somebody, and it costs far less than committing to a weekly pattern that turns out not to suit them.
Say so, and try somebody else. To stop visits with a particular carer, the contract sets a notice period of 48 hours for hourly care, or 7 days for live-in care once 168 hours have been worked, and Find a carer lets you message as many people as you need to before settling on someone.
Adult social care can point a family towards local services and, after a care needs assessment, may help fund the hours, but choosing the actual person is left to the family. How local authority funding works covers how to ask for an assessment.
Companionship is conversation, hobbies, meals together and getting out and about, while personal care covers washing, dressing and medication. Many carers on PrimeCarers offer both, so it is worth being clear about which your relative needs when you search and message. Personal care at home covers that side in full.