Care agency or private carer?
Searching for a care agency? Read this first
An agency is one of three ways to get a carer into the house, and for some families it is the right one. This page explains what each route is, what it costs, and who each one suits.
Hourly rates, 2026. PrimeCarers figures include our fee.
The three routes
What each one is, and who it suits
They differ in who chooses the carer, who employs them, and where the money goes. The first route is a domiciliary care agency, also called a homecare agency. What domiciliary care is, and how it is regulated.
A care agency
A domiciliary care agency: a company that employs carers and sends them to your home on a rota. In England, an agency that gives personal care has to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. It holds the contract and manages the staff.
£28–£35 an hour; live-in from about £1,400 a week
Suits
People who never want to be involved in choosing or managing a carer, and who are content with whoever the rota sends.
The catch
The agency usually decides who comes, the face can change from week to week, visit lengths are set by the rota, and part of the fee pays for the office as well as the carer.
A private carer through PrimeCarers
An introductory service, not an agency. Self-employed carers list themselves, and we check their ID, their right to work and an enhanced DBS certificate (or PVG / Access NI) issued within the last 2 years, and interview them online. You choose and meet them. You get a written contract with the carer, you pay by card through PrimeCarers, and visits booked through us are covered by the carer insurance we arrange, within its terms.
£18–£25 an hour, typically £19.47; live-in typically £1,120 a week
Suits
Families who want the same person every time and a say in who that is, without becoming an employer.
The catch
You do the choosing, which takes some time: reading profiles, sending messages and holding interviews. We do not check qualifications, training or references, so ask the carer about those. If your carer is ill, we can help you look for another carer, but we cannot promise cover the way an agency rota can.
Hiring someone yourself
You find a carer, check them, write the contract and pay them. If they are not self-employed, you are their employer.
£16–£18 an hour
Suits
People with time, confidence with paperwork, and a carer they already know and trust.
The catch
No vetting unless you do it, no insurance unless you buy it, possibly payroll and pension duties if they are employed, and nobody to call when it goes wrong.
Side by side
Eleven things that differ
An agency comes out ahead on a few of these rows, such as cover when a carer is ill, and for some families those rows are the ones that matter most.
| Agencydomiciliary care | PrimeCarers | Yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You choose the carer | Usually the agency decides | ||
| Same carer every visit | Depends on the rota | ||
| Visit length agreed with the carer, not set by a rota | Set by the rota | ||
| DBS, ID and right to work checked for you | |||
| Insurance and contract | Contract provided; insurance for platform visits, within the policy’s terms | ||
| You are not the employer | Carers are self-employed | Only if they are self-employed | |
| Registered with the CQC as a domiciliary care agency (England) | No. We are an introductory service: the carer is self-employed and you direct the care. We check ID, right to work and an enhanced DBS (or PVG / Access NI) issued within the last 2 years, and interview them online; nobody inspects the care itself | ||
| Cover if the carer is ill | We can help you look for another carer, but cannot promise cover | ||
| Someone to call when it goes wrong | Our team, for bookings, payments and finding another carer; 999 in an emergency | ||
| Hourly cost | £28–£35 | £18–£25 | £16–£18 |
| Live-in, per week | £1,400+ | typically £1,120 | varies |
Where the money goes
The agency’s price pays for the office as well as the carer. Recruitment, rota, compliance, and margin all sit between you and the person who turns up. That is why the same visit costs more and the carer earns less.
Carer takes home about £12
Carer takes home £15.58
More on the trade-off: private carers vs agency carers.
Already with an agency?
Moving to a private carer, in six steps
Families move for different reasons: a carer who changes from week to week, short visits set by the rota, or the cost. Finding your new carer before you give notice means there is no gap in care.
- 01
Check your notice period
Each agency contract sets its own notice period. Read yours before you speak to them, so you know how long you have.
- 02
Find your carer first
Search for carers, message the ones you like, and interview them. Have someone lined up before the agency stops, so there is no gap.
- 03
Ask the agency for a copy of the care plan
It has the medication times, the routines and what works, so the new carer can read it on day one.
- 04
Overlap one visit if you can
If the outgoing carer and the new one can be there together for one visit, the new carer sees the routine for themselves.
- 05
Tell the district nurse and the GP
Give them the new carer’s name, so they know who they are speaking to when the carer calls or is there for a visit.
- 06
Keep what was working
If there was an agency carer your relative got on well with, they may be on PrimeCarers already, or willing to join. Check their agency contract for a restriction first.
How it works
From “something has to change” to a carer at the door
No assessment visits, no waiting list. Some families are talking to a carer the same day.
Search your postcode
See the carers who cover it, with photos, rates, experience and reviews. Filter by hourly, live-in or overnight.
Talk to the ones you like
Message them directly, or tell us what you need and we can suggest some carers to look at. The choice is always yours.
Meet before deciding
A call, a video chat or a visit, free and before anything is booked. A lot of families have a good idea within the first ten minutes.
Book, and change it as needs change
The contract and payment run through us, and visits booked here are covered by the carer insurance policy we arrange, within its terms. You can add visits, add nights, or move to live-in care as things change, and you only pay for care that happens.
Before a carer appears
What we check, and what we don't
Letting a carer into the home of someone you love takes trust. These are the checks every carer passes before their profile appears; their skills, training and references are for you to ask about.
Checks before a carer appears
An enhanced DBS check issued within the last 2 years (or Scottish PVG or Access NI), ID and right-to-work checks, and a recorded online interview, all before a carer appears. We do not check qualifications, training or references: their skills, training and references are for you to check with them.
Contracted and paid online
Visits booked through PrimeCarers are on our standard contract and paid securely online after the care happens, with no cash to hand over. Insurance for platform visits, within the policy’s terms (no clinical procedures).
A real person to talk to
A UK support team you can call about finding carers, bookings and payments, not a call centre script. The care itself is agreed between you and the carer.
Help when plans change
If your carer is unwell or away, call us and we will help you look for another carer. We cannot guarantee cover at short notice, so it is worth having a second carer you have already met.
Reviews
What families say about their carers
Margaret N
"Excellent - Lovely lady. My mother is so pleased with the work she does in helping her."
Read the full review
Julia S
"Julia is a highly skilled and companionate carer who is able to give so much of herself and adapt to any situation."
Read the full review
Andres Felipe C
"My son who he is caring for automatically welcomed Andres and can be heard laughing & having fun with Andres."
Read the full reviewQuestions families ask
Agency or private carer, answered
A care agency, also called a domiciliary care agency, employs carers and sends whoever is on the rota, and you deal with the office. A private carer is one person, chosen by you, who comes each time. Through PrimeCarers the private carer is self-employed and checked, you get a written contract with them, you pay by card through us, and visits booked through us are covered by the carer insurance we arrange, within its terms. Private carers vs agency carers.
No. We are an introductory service, not a domiciliary care agency, and we are not registered with the CQC. Self-employed carers list themselves. We check their ID, their right to work and an enhanced DBS certificate (or PVG / Access NI) issued within the last 2 years, and interview them online. You choose and interview them too. You get a written contract with the carer, you pay by card through PrimeCarers, and visits booked through us are covered by the carer insurance we arrange, within its terms. We do not check qualifications, training or references, so ask the carer about those. We do not employ the carers or run a rota, which is why the same visit costs less and the carer keeps more of it.
Typically £28 to £35 an hour in 2026, and from about £1,400 a week for live-in care. A private carer through PrimeCarers is £18 to £25 an hour, typically £19.47, and live-in is typically £1,120 a week. The full cost guide.
When you do not want to be involved in choosing or managing a carer at all, when you want a provider to organise replacement cover under its contract, or when the council is arranging care for you and has a contract with a provider. Those are real reasons and some families weigh them highest.
Regulatory status depends on the activities and who directs the care, not just whether staff are employed. PrimeCarers operates as an introductory and payment service. Ask a managed provider about its registration and responsibilities, and check the regulator for your UK nation. Registration and self-employed carers.
Not through PrimeCarers: the carers are self-employed, so there is no PAYE, pension or sick pay to arrange. If you hire someone directly and they are not self-employed, you do become their employer. Can I employ a private carer?
Tell us and we can help you look for another carer. We cannot promise cover the way an agency rota can, so some families keep a second carer they have met as a backup. The Managed Service adds help with scheduling and holiday cover.
Yes, if you find the new carer before you give notice. Your agency contract sets the notice period, so read it first and use that time to search, interview and overlap a visit. The six steps and the full transition guide.
Sometimes. Some agency carers also work privately or would like to. They may be on PrimeCarers already; if not, they can join and be vetted. Check their agency contract for a restriction first.
At £16 to £18 an hour it looks cheapest, until you add the DBS check, insurance, a contract, and possibly payroll and pension duties, with nobody to call when it goes wrong. Whether the few pounds an hour are worth it depends on how much of that you are ready to take on. The legal and financial side.
Read next
See the private carers near you
Real people near you, with their rates and reviews. Pick the ones you like and talk to them for free.