What it is
What Gladys is, in its own words
Gladys says it operates what the CQC calls an introductory agency. The carers it introduces are self-employed, and you agree the care directly with them. It says it has worked in home care since 2023 and covers Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, for visiting, live-in, respite, companionship, personal and dementia care.
It says every carer is DBS checked, reference checked, interviewed and insured. It says prices start from £32 an hour for visiting care and £200 a day for live-in, set by each carer, and it asks for two working days' notice of a cancellation. We did not find a Trustpilot page for it.
The alternatives
7 alternatives to Gladys
Listed in no particular order. Each is labelled by how it works, with one line from its own website and a price only where it publishes one. Checked on 19 October 2026, 4 November 2026 and 5 November 2026.
Describes itself as an introductory agency connecting families across Great Britain with vetted, self-employed carers, and says it does not provide regulated care. It offers live-in care, respite stays and, in some cities, visiting care.
Published price: Live-in from £1,195 a week and respite from £1,595 a week, with its booking fee inside the price.
Source: Elder, introductory agency, Elder pricing, checked 5 November 2026
Describes itself as a home care platform that connects families directly with self-employed carers. It also runs Curam Managed Care, which it says is CQC registered.
Published price: Average hourly rate £20.50 and £1,200 a week for live-in (Curam's figures for August 2025), with a 12% client fee added to invoices.
Source: curamcare.com, Curam Managed Care, Curam client information, checked 19 October 2026
Runs an introductory model, which it says has operated since 2015 and is not regulated by the CQC, and a separate managed care service that is CQC regulated.
Published price: Introductory care from £1,400 a week, regulated care from £1,500 a week.
Source: myhometouch.com, Hometouch pricing, checked 19 October 2026
Says the CQC defines it as an introductory agency that is not required to register, that all its carers are self-employed and set their own rates, and that it checks identity, right to work and training certificates and takes two references on each carer.
Published price: £23 to £34 an hour (average £26), live-in from £1,200 a week, plus a client administration fee of 5% plus VAT.
Source: TrustonTap FAQs, TrustonTap pricing, checked 4 November 2026
Says it has introduced live-in carers since 1959 and calls itself the UK's longest-serving introductory live-in care provider. Its carers are self-employed and contracted by you, and it is not CQC registered. Managed care comes from its sister company, Trinity Homecare.
Published price: Live-in from £1,155 a week (its figure for October 2026), plus a one-off registration fee, an agency fee and the carer's travel.
Source: country-cousins.co.uk, Country Cousins, introductory vs managed, Country Cousins live-in cost, checked 4 November 2026
The service that wrote this page. Families search self-employed carers near them, see each carer's own rate and choose who to hire. It is not a care agency and is not CQC registered. Every carer has an ID check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS (or PVG or Access NI) issued within the last 2 years and an online interview. We do not verify references, qualifications or training.
Published price: Hourly visits £18 to £25, live-in £1,050 to £1,400 a week, our fee included.
Source: PrimeCarers pricing, what we check, checked 19 October 2026
A network of over 255 locally owned offices in the UK since 2005, regulated by the CQC and the regulators in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Every visit lasts at least an hour, and it offers live-in care too.
Source: homeinstead.co.uk, checked 19 October 2026
Which kind suits you
Introductory or managed: which kind suits you
If you live outside the areas Gladys covers, a national introductory service is the closest match. If you want somebody else to run the care, look at a managed agency.
| Introductory service | CQC-registered managed agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs the carer | Nobody. The carer is self-employed and works for you | The agency |
| Who chooses the carer | You, from profiles | The agency, usually with your input |
| Who directs the care day to day | You and the carer | The agency, through a care plan |
| If the carer cannot come | You find cover, with whatever help the service offers | The agency arranges cover |
| Registered with the CQC in England | No, because it does not provide the care | Yes, and its inspection reports are public |
| Price | Usually lower. On PrimeCarers, live-in is typically £1,120 a week | Usually higher. A typical managed live-in week is £1,120 to £1,750 |
Who employs the carer
- Introductory service
- Nobody. The carer is self-employed and works for you
- CQC-registered managed agency
- The agency
Who chooses the carer
- Introductory service
- You, from profiles
- CQC-registered managed agency
- The agency, usually with your input
Who directs the care day to day
- Introductory service
- You and the carer
- CQC-registered managed agency
- The agency, through a care plan
If the carer cannot come
- Introductory service
- You find cover, with whatever help the service offers
- CQC-registered managed agency
- The agency arranges cover
Registered with the CQC in England
- Introductory service
- No, because it does not provide the care
- CQC-registered managed agency
- Yes, and its inspection reports are public
Price
- Introductory service
- Usually lower. On PrimeCarers, live-in is typically £1,120 a week
- CQC-registered managed agency
- Usually higher. A typical managed live-in week is £1,120 to £1,750
Some providers run both models, so ask which one you are being offered. The managed range is a typical figure, not any named agency's price.
An introductory service tends to suit a family that wants to choose the carer, can be the person the carer answers to, and wants more of the price to reach the carer. A managed agency tends to suit care that is complex or clinical, a family that cannot be on hand to direct it, or anyone who wants the provider to be responsible for cover. Either way, ask which checks were done on the carer you would get, not on the company in general.
Questions
Questions about alternatives to Gladys
Gladys says it operates what the CQC calls an introductory agency. The carers are self-employed and you agree the care directly with them.
It lists Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Elsewhere, families usually look at a national introductory service or a local managed agency.
Gladys says prices start from £32 an hour for visiting care. On PrimeCarers, an introductory service, live-in is typically £1,120 a week and hourly visits £18 to £25 an hour, our fee included.
Sources
Sources checked on 19 October 2026, 4 November 2026 and 5 November 2026
- gladys.carewww.gladys.care/
- Gladys, introductory agencywww.gladys.care/introductory-agency
- Gladys, how it workswww.gladys.care/how-it-works
- Gladys client questionswww.gladys.care/common-questions-client
- Elder, introductory agencywww.elder.org/about-us/introductory-agency/
- Elder pricingwww.elder.org/pricing/
- curamcare.comwww.curamcare.com/
- Curam Managed Carewww.curamcare.com/home-care-services/managed-care
- Curam client informationwww.curamcare.com/client-information
- myhometouch.commyhometouch.com/
- Hometouch pricingmyhometouch.com/pricing
- TrustonTap FAQswww.trustontap.com/faqs
- TrustonTap pricingwww.trustontap.com/care-services/our-pricing/
- country-cousins.co.ukwww.country-cousins.co.uk/
- Country Cousins, introductory vs managedwww.country-cousins.co.uk/live-in-care/introductory-vs-fully-managed-live-in-care-which-is-right-for-you/
- Country Cousins live-in costwww.country-cousins.co.uk/live-in-care/cost-of-live-in-care/
- PrimeCarers pricing/pricing
- what we check/best-carers
- homeinstead.co.ukwww.homeinstead.co.uk/