Direct paymentsLewisham
Direct payments in Lewisham
If the council has agreed to pay towards care at home, you can take the money as a direct payment and choose who provides the care. London Borough of Lewisham says a direct payment can pay a self-employed carer, with some checks first. Below is what the council publishes about its rates and rules, and what an hour of care costs near you.
440 self-employed carers within about 45 minutes of Lewisham
An hour of care in Lewisham
- A self-employed carer near youTypical rate on PrimeCarers, our fee included
- £19.80
- Local home care agenciesMedian of 86 agencies nearby that publish a price
- £24.92
- The council’s personal assistant rateFor someone you employ yourself
- £14.80
A budget worked out at the agency rate buys more hours from a self-employed carer. Employing a personal assistant costs less an hour again, but makes your family the employer. What a weekly budget buys each way is set out below.
What the council pays
Direct payment rates in Lewisham
These are the rates London Borough of Lewisham publishes for direct payments, with a link to where each one appears. Your budget is set in your support plan and can differ from them.
| What the rate is for | Rate | Applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potential hourly wage for a personal assistant | £14.80 an hour | Not stated | lewisham.gov.uk |
Hours for the money
What a weekly budget buys
A direct payment is a sum of money, so the useful comparison is how many hours of care it pays for. Move the slider to your own weekly budget.
Starts at ten hours a week at the agency rate. Move it to match the budget in your support plan.
- A self-employed carer on PrimeCarers12.5 hours
At £19.80 an hour. The typical rate near you, our fee included. The carer invoices for the hours, and that invoice is your record for the council.
- A local home care agency9.5 hours
At £24.92 an hour. The median published by 86 agencies near you. The agency sends whoever is on its rota.
- A personal assistant you employ16.5 hours
At £14.80 an hour. The council’s rate for employing someone yourself. Your family becomes the employer, with payroll, holiday pay, pension and insurance to arrange.
Hours are rounded down to the half hour. Bank holidays are charged at one and a half times a carer's rate and Christmas Day at twice, so leave room in the budget for them. London Borough of Lewisham decides what your direct payment can be spent on, and your support plan is the final word.
Choosing your carer
Paying a self-employed carer in Lewisham
London Borough of Lewisham allows a direct payment to pay a self-employed carer, with conditions. The council accepts the use of a self-employed person but advises you to check their employment status first, and offers help with that check.
“If you plan to use a self-employed person we recommend that you check their employment status. If you need any help with this please let us know.”
Councils tend to ask for the same few things before a direct payment pays a self-employed carer:
- the carer's employment status for tax, which HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool on gov.uk works out in a few minutes
- proof that the carer is insured
- a DBS certificate
- an invoice for the hours worked, which becomes your record of how the money was spent
How direct payments work covers asking for one, what the money can buy and the records councils want back, and self-employed carer or employee? explains the tax question.
The council's arrangements
How direct payments are run in Lewisham
What the council publishes about paying the money, getting help and getting in touch. Each card links to the page we checked it against.
Where the council points you to find a personal assistant
Worth knowing
If you build up more than eight weeks' worth of funding in your pre-paid card account, the council will investigate whether there is a need for it, such as outstanding invoices, a personal assistant's annual leave or a respite break, and any funds deemed to be in excess without good reason will be returned to the council.
Worth knowing
If you register your profile with the Lewisham Personal Assistant directory and commit with your employer for six months, Direct Payment may reimburse the money you paid for your initial DBS check.
Worth knowing
Personal assistants may be funded to provide their usual support services abroad, but associated costs such as flights would not be covered.
Who is available
Self-employed carers in Lewisham
440 carers are based within about 45 minutes of Lewisham. You can see their rates and experience, and message them, before committing to anything.
440 private carers are based within about 45 minutes of Lewisham
Filter by what they charge, who drives, who does nights, and who speaks your language, then message the ones you like. Free, and nothing is booked until you say so.
See private carers for LewishamIn their words
Families near Lewisham on the carers they chose
“My mum's last few months were most definitely a lot easier with Carla there for both my mum and for me; She is an empathetic listener and also gives very sound advice.”
Jackie D., 2021
About Carla A.Carer based in Greater London · 5 reviews“She had an air of confidence & professionalism that made me feel totally at ease, knowing that Johns needs would be totally met by her.”
Lesley D., 2026
About Kehinde C.Carer based in unknown · 2 reviews“It was clear that my husband felt safe and comfortable in her care and enjoyed being with her.”
Susan H., 2023
About Esther J.Carer based in London · 2 reviews“Anita has been brilliant in helping to care for my mother following her operation so much so that my mum is back into a routine and is managing herself well.”
Ruhee B., 2024
About Anita A.Carer based in Greater London“She Administered My Medications With Advanced Pharmaceutical Knowledge”
Solomon A., 2021
About Mireille D.Carer based in LondonStep by step
Using a direct payment for a carer you choose
- Get the assessment and the support plan. The council assesses the care needed and works out the budget. Say at this stage that you want a direct payment and would like to choose your own carer.
- Check what the council allows. Ask the direct payments team whether it will pay a self-employed carer and what it needs to see from them.
- Find carers and talk to a few. Search carers near you, compare rates, experience and reviews, and message your shortlist. None of that costs anything.
- Agree the hours and rate in writing. Match them to the support plan, and keep within the budget once bank holidays are allowed for.
- Keep the records. Invoices and statements are what the council looks at when it reviews how the direct payment is being used.
Questions
Questions about direct payments in Lewisham
Yes. The council accepts the use of a self-employed person but advises you to check their employment status first, and offers help with that check. The checks a council asks for are usually the carer's employment status for tax, their insurance and their DBS certificate. Carers on PrimeCarers are self-employed, hold an enhanced DBS and are insured while they work, and they invoice for the hours worked.
London Borough of Lewisham publishes £14.80 an hour for a personal assistant. The full list, with links to where the council says so, is on this page. Your own budget is set in your support plan and can differ, for example if your needs include nights or two carers.
Usually it buys more hours. Carers near you typically charge £19.80 an hour against £24.92 for agency care, so a budget worked out at the agency rate buys more hours from a self-employed carer. If your budget was worked out at the personal assistant rate of £14.80, it buys fewer.
In England a direct payment cannot normally pay the person’s husband, wife or partner, or a close relative who lives in the same household, unless the council considers it necessary. That is the direct payments regulations rather than this council's own rule, so ask the direct payments team how it applies it. Can my mum pay me to care for her? covers the other routes.
Only if you employ somebody. Paying a self-employed carer or an agency does not make anyone an employer. Taking on a personal assistant does, which brings payroll, holiday pay, sick pay, pension enrolment and employer's liability insurance. HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool on gov.uk tells you which applies.
London Borough of Lewisham's direct payments team on 020 8314 9675 or at [email protected]. If you do not have a social worker or care assessment yet, start with a needs assessment from adult social care.
Direct payments in nearby council areas
- Direct payments in Southwark
- Direct payments in Bromley
- Direct payments in Greenwich
- Direct payments in Lambeth
- Direct payments in City of London
- Direct payments in Bexley
If the care needed is mainly about health, the NHS may pay for all of it through Continuing Healthcare, decided by the NHS rather than the council. In Lewisham that is NHS South East London.
Council details were read from London Borough of Lewisham's published pages and checked against them on 17 September 2026. Councils change their rates each April, so check the linked page before relying on a figure. The local agency figure is the median of 86 agencies near Lewisham that publish a price. Carer rates are what carers near you advertise, read live.
Find a carer in Lewisham
See self-employed carers near you with their hourly rates, experience and reviews, and talk to the ones you like for free. Check with the council what your direct payment can pay for before you book.