What it is
What Helping Hands is, in its own words
Helping Hands says its story began in the Midlands in the late 1980s, that it directly employs and trains all its carers and never uses agency staff, and that it is registered with the CQC and Care Inspectorate Wales. It says 97% of its branches are rated Good or Outstanding. It offers visiting care and live-in care.
Its cost page says live-in care starts from £1,675 a week for one person and £2,125 for a couple (page reviewed 17 April 2026).
The alternatives
8 alternatives to Helping Hands
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.
The Good Care Group
CQC-registered managed agencyLive-in care provider that says it directly employs, trains and supervises all its carers, is inspected by the CQC in England and the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, and is rated Outstanding in all five CQC categories.
Source: thegoodcaregroup.com, checked 19 October 2026
Home Instead
CQC-registered managed agencyA 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
Agincare
CQC-registered managed agencyFamily-owned since 1986, in 100+ locations. It says it employs and pays all its care workers, including live-in carers, and that all its care services are regulated by the CQC.
Source: agincare.com, checked 19 October 2026
Trinity Homecare
CQC-registered managed agencyLive-in care across the country and visiting care by the hour, day or week. It says it is CQC rated Outstanding.
Source: trinityhomecare.co.uk, checked 19 October 2026
Consultus Care & Nursing
BothFounded in 1962. It offers an introductory service, where a self-employed carer works for you, and a fully managed live-in service that it says is regulated by the CQC in England. It also offers live-in nursing.
Source: consultuscare.com, checked 19 October 2026
Hometouch
BothRuns 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
Elder
IntroductoryDescribes itself as an introductory care agency helping families find vetted, self-employed carers, and says it is not required to register with the CQC. It offers live-in care, short respite stays and part-time care.
Source: Elder, introductory agency, checked 19 October 2026
PrimeCarers
IntroductoryThe 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
Which kind suits you
Introductory or managed: which kind suits you
Staying with a managed agency keeps the arrangement you know. An introductory service changes it: you choose the carer and direct the care, and the price is lower because it does not cover employment.
| 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 Helping Hands
Other managed, CQC-registered agencies such as The Good Care Group, Home Instead, Agincare and Trinity Homecare; services that offer both models, such as Consultus and Hometouch; and introductory services such as Elder and PrimeCarers, where you hire a self-employed carer directly.
An introductory service usually costs less, because the price does not include an employer's costs. On PrimeCarers live-in typically costs £1,120 a week with our fee included, against Helping Hands' published starting price of £1,675. The trade-off is that you choose and direct the carer yourself, and arranging cover is not an agency's job.
Search the agency by name on the CQC website. Each registered branch or office has its own rating and inspection report, so check the one that would provide your care.
Sources
Sources checked on 19 October 2026
- Helping Hands, about uswww.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk/about-us/
- Helping Hands live-in carewww.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk/live-in-care/
- Helping Hands live-in costwww.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk/costs-funding/cost-of-live-in-care/
- thegoodcaregroup.comwww.thegoodcaregroup.com/
- homeinstead.co.ukwww.homeinstead.co.uk/
- agincare.comwww.agincare.com/
- trinityhomecare.co.ukwww.trinityhomecare.co.uk/
- consultuscare.comwww.consultuscare.com/
- myhometouch.commyhometouch.com/
- Hometouch pricingmyhometouch.com/pricing
- Elder, introductory agencywww.elder.org/introductory-agency/
- PrimeCarers pricing/pricing
- what we check/best-carers